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Clouds gather overhead as the teachers and pupils of the Assumption Lumad School in Kibalatong, Barangay Malabog, Paquibato District, one of the political districts in Davao City, were about to dismiss school for the day.
The hills surrounding the school took on a darkened mood, the bright surroundings suddenly became somber and gloomy, making the Matigsalog parents anxiously look out to the children in the school nearby.
Taking a second glance on the school vicinity and all the facilities that made the school look like a giant lion squatting on its belly and earlier on basking under the merciless heat of the sun, Datu Manduliman heave a sigh of relief?
“The children will be okay,” he said to himself.
School year 2007-2008 was an eventful one, especially for Jenie A. Oriz, a Matigsalog pupil who graduated with honors in Toruyan. In her valedictory address, Jenie narrated in vernacular how grateful they were to Assumption College of Davao, particularly the Missionaries of the Assumption who have exhausted every effort to make their dreams come true. During this particular school year however, there school underwent a problem that threatened their teachers and made them leave the community. The problem however was later addressed by the elders of the tribe.
Starting with only handful pupils among the children of the Ata-Manobo and Matigsalog Tribe in Toruyan, the Mobile school, which was an aspiration for the Lumad elders and leaders materialized on June 2002, after more than a decade of “sowing the seeds” of good relations and intentions between the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Malabog and the Sisters of the Missionaries of the Assumption.
As one of its Apostolate in 1989, when the Missionaries of the Assumption started to stand on their own after separating from its mother congregation the Daughters of Mary of the Assumption (fma), the Tribal People’s Apostolate (IPA) commenced with literacy-numeracy (Lit-Num) among the adult IPs. This went on until other programs such as livelihood and health programs were brought to the doorsteps of the Matigsalogs in Malabog.
Over a decade after the Lumad Apostolate’s inception, concrete steps were undertaken by the Sisters of the Missionaries of the Assumption to establish what is now called the Lumad School of the Assumption College of Davao.
“Option for the Poor” – a heritage
Honed by the struggles they went through for several years under the tutelage of the Canadian leadership of the Daughters of Mary of the Assumption, the m.a. Sisters have weathered storm after storm through its journey in 50 years. The many differences between the Canadian and Filipino sisters understanding of the Philippine political and economic situation especially during Martial Law had strained their relationship and that had led to the ultimate parting.
Established in 1958, the Assumption Academy of Davao opened its portals to the “poor and marginalized” right on the “open, swampy and desolate” grounds of once rural- like community of Agdao District in Davao City.
This was four years after two Sisters of the Daughters of Mary of the Assumption, (fma) Sr. Elodie Marie Richard (Mother del Annunciacion) and Sr. Oveline Doucet (Sr. Gaetance) – of Campbelton, New Brunswick, came to Davao immediately upon the invitation of then Bishop Clovis Thibault of Davao. When they first came in 1954, the FMA established the Assumption School of Nabunturan in Compostela Valley Province.
Though not a missionary congregation, the FMA Sisters, they responded to the call of mission as a thanksgiving for the proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption in that same year in 1954. Founded on September 8, 1922 by Archbishop louis Arthur Melanson, the first Acadian Bishop in New Brunswick, Canada, the FMA originated from the history of people’s struggles against oppressive political, economic and cultural structures that oppressed the poor during their time.
That is why when the FMA Sisters came, Agdao was chosen because of its outback situation then. It is no surprise that the tradition of responding to the needs of the poor, whether they be spiritually or materially disadvantage was nothing new much later in the history of the Filipino FMA Sisters’ struggles.
A Catholic Education for Davao’s poor
The Assumption Academy of Davao started its operation as an exclusive school for girls with elementary and high school departments. At the opening of classes in 1958, it only registered a total of 170 enrollees, consisting of 84 elementary pupils and 86 high school students.
Initially, the school offered Grades I, V and VI with one section in each level only. The succeeding years saw expansion of its curricular offerings to several levels of learning to meet the needs of the youth and the community.
Not long after, the college education was offered in 1961 and the school was renamed Assumption College of Davao (ACD). Offering basic courses such as Bachelor of Arts (A.B.), Bachelor of Science in Commerce (B.S.C.), Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A), Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.), Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (B.S.Ed) and Pre-nursing, the college started with forty-four (44) students enrolled in the first year level.
Already, ACD had attempted to lay the foundation for its real mission to uplift the lives of the poor, by offering courses in Education that they saw would help the poor help themselves.
Gradual growth as Educational Institution
The 60s saw the development of the educational institution of Assumption School. Mrs. Iris Milleza who started her teaching career at Assumption still fresh from college, said “it was then purely academic focus more than anything else.” Early on in her career, she was voted as best teacher after only a year of teaching and rose to become the first lay Directress of ASD.
She said she grew with the school which, in 1964, boys were already accepted in the elementary, and three years later, in 1967, when the kindergarten program was offered. It had become a co-educational institution in its Grade School Department with students coming from different social strata. However, the High School department was still an exclusive girls school, and became co-educational in mid-80s.
Juxtaposed with the growth of the school curricula was the necessity for more structures that was needed then, like the gymnasium and in 1976, the three-storey concrete building for the grade school was erected. The construction of more facilities for academic and non-academic purposes followed.
And then a “profound shift” in approaches to education began the journey towards social transformation as the pre-Vatican II teachings of the church largely influenced its teachings.
This was when the social conflict prevailing in Philippine society heightened during the Martial Law years in the early 70s and well into the 80s, when the Sisters began to find deeper meaning in their journey with the “oppressed and the marginalized” in society.
Going through storms in high seas
Even the personnel doing the pre-survey report of the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) formal survey report in 1979, have sensed a different approach in education that amazed and somewhat left them in wonderment. Since then, the High School Department and its Grade School Department have undergone accreditation surveys up to the present, a healthy sign of efforts to upgrade and continually improve its curriculum to be relevant to the times.
Differences. The so-called movement of the Church for change has also greatly influenced the perspective of the Filipina sisters of the FMA in Davao, such that it became apparent among the Canadian superiors that a shift in the Sisters’ consciousness had affected the congregation.
Vatican II Declaration on Catholic Schools par. #58 was very specific: “Since it is motivated by the Christian ideal, the Catholic school is particularly sensitive to the call from every part of the world for a more just society, and it tries to make its own contribution towards it. It does not stop at the courageous teaching of the demands of justice even in the face of local opposition, but tries to put this demands into practice in its own community in the daily life of the school…..”
Education for Transformation
Mrs. Iris Milleza said the shift that was going on in school was ‘profound”, yet, it was not obvious enough. “We were also groping…”, she added, and that PAASCU took note of the changes in education approaches. A very significant event took place during Ms. Milleza’s time as Directress as she remembered well how some 500 militants forced their way inside the school when they were pursued by military authorities during the commemoration of Human Rights Day on December 10, 1983.
In 1982, the mission thrust of the FMA in the Philippine Region was formulated in the Assumption School of Davao based on the congregation’s Charism and the context of their mission statement.
Sr. Esperanza Y. Clapano said a reorientation of the school apostolate towards concern and love for the poor followed.
This was concretized in the changes that occurred at ASD, which was then known for its Education for Transformation, concern for women, Gender Sensitivity, education for justice and advocacy for women that eventually led to the opening of the school for the poor much later in the 90s.
ACD was entering the second decade in 1978 when the school was again renamed Assumption School of Davao (ASD), when the college department was closed down for lack of teachers with a masters’ degree. This however challenged ACD to refocus on its Mission, and in carrying out its Vision.
Condemning “junk” foods – promoting natural food
Like many schools which have to contend with the onslaught of multi-national products flooding the school canteen, ACD was not spared. A strong political will coupled with the critical mindedness of ACD administrators had brought about the end to patronizing bottled sodas and other unnatural food preparations that not only lacked nutritional values but also destroys wellness among very young children.
It was a struggle not only among the stakeholders in the community but even within the school systems, as the loss of potential profit from these products also meant sacrifice to the earning of the school.
The consciousness for natural food is premised on education that must not simply be relevant. It must be truly responsive to social issues and problems of society and committed to remove the oppressive and exploitative social structures.
Junking unnatural food from its system was the most tangible way of responding to this call. 1993 saw the total rejection of transnational products, which means in effect, barring of these food products from entering the ACD campus up to the present time.
Surviving the Tumultuous Challenges
For teacher Mary Entero-Edquilang, it is not difficult to understand the struggles of students at the Sunday High School Education Program (SHSEP) of Assumption College of Davao. In fact she can easily empathize because she went through the rigors of being one herself as a SHSEP student.
That is why every time she teaches her first year section, she does it with passion because she believes that these children will one day be like her who have successfully hurdled the many stumbling blocks of being materially poor.
In response to this gripping reality of poverty especially in Agdao community, the Missionaries of the Assumption designed and offered a quality and yet affordable Catholic education to the poor but deserving working youth, the Sunday High School Education Program in 1995. Since then, the number of students enrolled in this program has steadily increased through the years, an indicator that more and more families could no longer afford to send their children to formal education even in public institutions where school fees are minimal.
Thus, when ACD reopened its College Department in 1998, it was with the general precept that the ones who would benefit most from it would be the Sunday High School students, as it offered affordable fees. Ms. Edquilang who graduated from the ACD College saw and experienced fulfillment first hand, as she was able to attain higher studies.
Dreams Can Come True
Over two decades have passed since, and in 2005, a number of new teachers graduated from Assumption College of Davao, two of them were Indigenous youth who were recipient of the scholarship Program of the Assumption Sisters.
Boyson Anib, who is an Ata-Manobo recipient of the Missionaries of the Assumption scholarship program for the Lumad hails from Kibalatong, Malabog, Paquibato District, and was one of them.
Full of enthusiasm and eagerness right after graduation, Boyson immediately prepared all his requirements to teach in his homeplace in Kibalatong, where a Lumad learning center was put up as extension school of the Grade School Department of the ACD since 2002.
To date, Boyson is teaching over 50 pupils in another community school of the Lumad, situated in Toruyan, Tamugan, Marilog District where the other Extension school is located, fulfilling his long time dream to uplift his indigenous community, and to help the many IP children reach for their life’s aspiration as well.
Reclaiming the future
True to its avowed Mission, ACD continue to flourish with its unique approach to basic education, however harsh the environment was.
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