The Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Mindanao staged the "Kwentong Pahinungod: The Volunteering Journey of Gurong Pahinungod Volunteers in Mindanao" on September 26, 2024, for UP Mindanao students and other interested parties, face-to-face and online.

The Gurong Pahinungod (GP), the main program of the UP Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, deploys UP volunteers to teach basic education courses in schools located in underserved communities.

Pahinungod Mindanao organized the Kwentong Pahinungod to inspire and motivate interested UP Mindanao students to participate and constitute the next generation of Gurong Pahinungod volunteers and educators.

At the Kwentuhang Pahinungod are (left-right) J. Masigon, J. Bacagan, R. Dayson, S. Guro, D. Gasapo, J. Ballener, A. Macapundag, Director Gatela

 In the Kwentong Pahinungod, seven GP volunteers shared their experiences in delivering their teaching services, the challenges they encountered, the resilience they developed, and the satisfaction they earned from their period of dedicated deployment.

Four of the GPs were deployed to the Junior High School of Kabasalan National High School in North Cotabato Province. Dwight Gasapo (BS Food Technology) and Jo Angela Ballener (BS Agribusiness Economics) are UP Mindanao graduates, Alia Macapundag (BA Creative Writing) is from UP Diliman, and Jullienne Padalla Bacagan (BA Social Science) is from UP Baguio.

Three were deployed to the Senior High School of South Upi National High School in Maguindanao Province. They are Reinald G. Dayson (BS Math and Science Teaching) from UP Los Baños, Samaira T. Guro (BS Anthropology) from UP Mindanao, and Neil Terrence S. Masigon (BA Communication and Media Studies) from UP Visayas.

 

Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao, viewed online

"As Iskolar ng Bayan, we carry the responsibility of using the knowledge we've gained from the university to uplift our fellow Filipinos," said UP Mindanao Chancellor Lyre Anni Murao. "Not everyone has the courage and spirit that you possess. You are all the "Oble" (Oblation) in your own way—willing to offer yourselves without expecting anything in return," she said.

Former GPs Asst. Prof. Rodgessa Lopez of the School of Management and Ms. Michelle Panis of UP Mindanao Administrative Services were also at the Kwentuhan.

Some 15 students attended face-to-face, and another 20 attended online, while the social media livestream earned 700 views, including from Kabasalan and South Upi residents.

According to Pahinungod Mindanao Director and former GP, Michael Gatela, "the Kwentong Pahinungod is a significant contribution to cultivating a culture of volunteerism and service within the university community, aligning with the broader mission of the University of the Philippines to contribute to nation-building through education and public service."

"The Gurong Pahinungod has served the underserved communities all over the Philippines for three decades now," said Pahinungod UP System Director Prof. Marie Therese Angeline Bustos, in remarks delivered online. "Through the Kwentong Pahinungod, I am hoping that many more UP students will become members of the Gurong Pahinungod," she said.

The event is a contribution to the ongoing Ugnayan ng Pahinungód Inception Anniversary celebration and marks the deployment of the 15th batch of Gurong Pahinungód volunteers.

The Kwentong Pahinungod aligns with the UP Strategic Plan flagship programs on Partnerships and Public Service. It addresses the UP Mindanao flagship programs of the Road to 5,000 Students, Affirmative Action, and Public Service for Mindanao, and the sustainable development goal of Quality Education.