HOW TO LIVE A LIFE: Wayda

Wayda

4 comments | Monday, January 19, 2009

“You go to school not only to help yourself but to help your fellow Aeta”

Wayda Cosme,now 33, stands out among the Aeta of Mount Pinatubo. She is the first lawyer in the tribe. Also, she is the first Aeta working as a legal analyst for the Clark Development Corp., which runs the Clark Special Economic Zone, as CDC records showed. Wayda’s parent Roberto and Milagros are from the Villar Village(formerly Ugek), which is 10 km from the volcano’s crater. After the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the Cosme family were displaced and evacuated and later settled in Botolan, Zambales.

Wayda’s parents are advocates of Education. They did all their best to look for a scholarship for Wayda. Her studies in Sto. Nino High school in Botolan was supported by the Jaime Ongpin Foundation. She finished her English course in Guagua National College in Pampanga while working as house helper. In 2001, she finished Law School from Harvardian College through the help of the Holy Trinity Church in Makati City and Jennifer Wallum, a member of the British Empire and founder of the Entrepreneur Volunteer Assistance Charity Foundation.

The story of Wayda is such an inspiring one not just for the Aeta community but also to the different minority groups here in the Philippines. Through education you can make a difference. Social change is defined as an act of advocacy for the cause of changing society in a normative way. With the story of Wayda, people of her community were inspired to follow her path to change their lives and not be a slave of poverty again. But also some difficulties are ahead of them since the the government are not fully supportive to them.

One difficulty during her schooling is the discrimination, because of her skin color and looks, from her classmates. Aeta’s are labelled house helpers, beggars and lazy people from the mountains. Sometimes, people think that they have no capacity or capability for an higher learning and that is the reason why Wayda’s classmates shows some prejudices to her. Wayda did not only discriminated by the people from from the city but also by his fellow Aetas who do not have faith with her dream to finish school. She was ridiculed and poked fun at. Her fellow Aetas do not believe with education as a tool for success. They think that they are Aetas and Aetas have no place in the school.

Another difficulty is the lack of money to continually support her education. Even though she is under scholarship, her allowance is sometimes late that’s why her parents need to look for money just to sustain her education.

Also, support from the family is very important. Wayda’s father is her number one supporter. Roberto Cosme finished elementary education where he learned to write, read and count. His enthusiasm for education got support from American couple Fred and Virginia Pennoyer, who devoted 20 years of Protestant missionary work in Villar. He is a government employee in Zambales and he did all his best just to support her daughter’s education. Unlike her father, Wayda’s mother, Milagros, does not fully supports her husband about Wayda going to school. She is afraid on what Wayda will experience on the hands of the people in the city. One advice that his father always say to Wayda is that “You go to school not only to help yourself but to help your fellow Aeta” This is what Wayda always remember when she is in a downfall stage of his school life.

Lastly, the lack of support from the government for education is one major obstacle. Specialized programs must be planned that will cater the needs of the minorities. Reading, writing and instructional materials that suits the minorities must be given to them.

While reading the online news this morning, news about Presidential aspirants are now on the headlines: New President for the Americans; Supreme Court Justice as future President; Chavit and Erap are now in good terms; Korina and Presidential wannabe Mar Roxas lovelife; and stories of Villar, Legarda, Lacson and De Castro. I hope that our next leader will prioritize EDUCATION as a tool to alleviate poverty. I greatly believed that Filipinos are born with exceptional intelligence and talent.

posted by jbinx

at 3:38 PM Permalink

4 Comments:

Dabo said...

I agree and I like to add health on it.

Wayda is one heck of a brave woman huh..the adversaries she faced i bet were than discrimination for sure..it is sad t

Government should prioritize education. Education is not mere teaching and learning and having a budget.

I hope the teachers we produce were taught to be passionate, I only remember four passionate teachers in my life.

I also hope nationalism will be clearly implied and completely express, textbooks to be accurate.

Hay ang daming dapat ayusin sa sector na ito.

4:31 PM

jbinx said...