Her family struggles to obtain food every day, thus, going to school with an empty stomach is just a normal thing for her. Even if scarcity of food means eating once a day, it never hindered Warik Pan, a sixth grade pupil of Sapang Uwak Elementary School in Porac, Pampanga.
Warik lives in a remote and mountainous part of Porac. Their house from Sitio Banaba is a 2-hour trek from their school. In order to be present at school, she would sleep over with her relatives near the school during weeknights. She thought these struggles are way smaller compared to her big dreams. The difficulty did not stop her. Warik is a consistent honor student since first grade.
“Bisa ku pung mag teacher”. (I want to be a teacher), she giggly uttered. Now, she has another reason to be thankful, another motivation to achieve her dream – a new bag and a new set of school supplies.
Warik is one of the 240 Ayta pupils who received bag and school supplies after Sagip Kapamilya, in partnership with Cabalen, distributed Gusto Kong Mag-aral (GKM) bags.
A bag filled with school supplies is both useful and meaningful for Warik as her parents can hardly provide for her school needs.
“Ala yang bayung bag. Kaya magpasalamat ku kasi atin yang bayung bag. Buri kung miraos la keng pamagaral da. Minsan ala lang pamangan”(She does not have a new bag. And now I am thankful because she has a new one. I want her to finish her studies despite our struggle for food.), said Warik’s Mother, Amelia.
Head Teacher of Sapang Uwak Elementary School Pepito Lazcano expressed that GKM bags are very helpful for the students because at times, students are just borrowing pencils and papers from their classmates.
Gusto Kong Mag-aral bags distribution in Sapang Uwak, Porac Pampanga was made possible thru Sagip Kapamilya's partnership with Cabalen. This activity was also supported by the 48th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine Army.
Sapang Uwak Elementary School in Porac, Pampanga is one of the victims of 6.4 magnitude earthquake last April 2019. GKM distribution is part of rehabilitation efforts of Sagip Kapamilya.