True to PLDT Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan’s promise of bringing the PLDT Gabay Guro celebrations to the provinces, the much-awaited “Grand Gathering” came all the way to Bulacan to give early holiday treats and pay tribute to the teachers of this historical province on Dec. 9.
The star-studded event was held at the Bulacan Province Capitol Gymnasium where around 4,000 teachers from Meycauayan, San Jose Del Monte, and Malolos gathered for a day full of fun, prizes, and world-class entertainment led by the country’s biggest performers – Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Jaya, Jona and Regine Tolentino with comedians Ate Gay and Regina.
Hosted by actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith, beauty queen MJ Lastimosa and TV personality IC Mendoza, the teachers’ tribute was mounted successfully in cooperation with the provincial schools and the local government of Bulacan led by Gov. Willy Sy-Alvarado.
In the morning of Dec. 9, 250 teachers were handpicked to become recipients of two significant seminar-workshops — Gabay Guro’s “Teachers’ Treasure Chest” led by Deng Kibanoff and “Teaching in a Digital World” facilitated by Addie Robles.
This is in keeping with the ongoing programs of Gabay Guro that are summed up in the Pillars of Learnings advocated by the men of women behind the foundation. These programs include Scholarships, Livelihood Programs, Housing and Educational Facilities, Broadband and Computerization, Teachers Training and the Teachers’ Tribute.
Gabay Guro Chairman Chaye Cabal-Revilla and her team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes for everything that the foundation stands for. It is in these events where teachers get to experience the tribute they deserve. Revilla says she wouldn’t have it any other way. “We give our all to make our teachers feel special but at the end of the day, we are the ones who feel so much more blessed. The gratitude they show is priceless. It makes everything worth it,” she said.
Pangilinan has thrown his all-out support to this endeavor saying, “I am extremely proud of Gabay Guro’s achievements. They are doing a wonderful job for the Filipino teachers. We plan to increase our teacher-scholars to 10,000 in the next 3-5 years. The event here in Bulacan is just one of the many regional celebrations that we plan to hold in the near future. So watch out for more.”
Gabay Guro on its 10th year carries with it an outstanding history littered with awards and citations that make all of them advocates stand a little taller. Among these are the Gawad Tanglaw award, Anvil Awards and from the Phil. Association of National Advertisers (PANA) and the Philippine Quill Awards.
Revilla and the Gabay Guro team of visionaries are propelled by this belief: “our nation’s children depend on our nation’s teachers to lead them to the future. Gabay Guro has also partnered with local government units to further teacher education by conducting trainings for over 20,000 teachers. Today, it runs eight training programs for teachers around the country namely: Teacher’s Treasure Chest; English Proficiency Training; Computer Literacy; Emotional Intelligence; Teacher’s Armor; Leadership Training; IT Sustainability and Literacy; and Unleashing Creativity in Teaching.
Gabay Guro answers to the needs of the times by doing grassroots anti-drugs trainings in schools. It has also taken the cudgels in the construction of classrooms in the provinces, mostly those that have been hit by debilitating calamities. There are over 40 classrooms constructed and donated already in Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Capiz.
For more information please visit the Gabay Guro official website www.gabayguro.com, and follow them on twitter and Instagram at @PLDTGabayGuro.