This year, school begins with the heaviest of heart. A high school teacher at V. Mapa High in Manila succumbed to death from a stage IV lung cancer at the Philippine General Hospital. His name is Filomeno Q. Loto, Jr.
He doesn’t smoke. He drinks spirits only on occasional, mostly social bases.
For 20 or so odd years, he devoted his time teaching elementary and high school students. Attesting to how much loved he is a teacher, battalions of current and former students drove to the hospital and to his house in the two months or so that he battled with the disease.
Filomeno, or Sir Loto to most of his students and colleagues, is only one of the too many stories of a devoted public school teacher, hero, and inspiration, yet obscure and to his last breathe underpaid by the country he served so well.
On a day-to-day basis, to go to his class Sir loto had to brave the polluted areas of Manila, passing by such notoriously toxic locations as the Maynilad in front of the Manila City Hall all the way to Mendiola St.
When he reaches school, he only has his lesson plans, a box of chalk and loads of jokes, prodding and inspiring the young to learn and venture more to such difficult and baffling academic disciplines as Chemistry, Physics and the likes.
He is credited, by one of his students for assigning the song Half Crazy to be the national anthem of his Physics class.
His show of concern is at worst heroic, because it could have put him in trouble, and life-altering at best, all you need to do is to listen to his students. In his wake, drops of stories trickled nonstop, assuring everyone how seriously he takes to heart the principle and task of a loco parentis.
“Tatay po namin siya, kahit sa labas ng school,” attests one. Another student relayed the day when Sir Loto spoke to his parents. The young man could not but emphasize that it was a turning point of his life.
Moreover, Sir Loto is slow to anger and fast on understanding. A FastBook account notes: “Nahuli ako ni Sir na dumudura sa second floor. Pinagsabihan niya ako. Tapos nun, nagtawanan na kami.”
When his students are literally lost and astray and/or are in need of a sheltering place, he does not have second thoughts to offer his house. During Christmas or the holidays his students are like eager visitors paying homage to a great guru.
Indeed, Sir Loto’s life is a monumental testimony to the age-old notion that teaching is the noblest profession.
His life is one testimony to the nobility of life (meaning: creatively and persistently thriving or more to the point, over load work but pitifully underpaid) that teachers, especially public school teachers in this country have to live despite the worst odds life has to offer.
Sir Loto’s life is definitely not the first or the last to qualify the ranks of these noble souls.
However, this is only half of the tragedy. This society’s heart is callous to the plight of many of them.
At the height of Sir Loto’s battle with lung cancer, his eldest brother cried out how family finances were drained yet the family, any decent Filipino family would, was ready to sell their house for any possible, no matter how slim, chance of recovery.
Benjo Basas, the chair of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) recently pointed this irony/tragedy in the midst of the commotion for this year’s 12-k program of the government. He said: “We need facilities, and most importantly, we need good teachers.
Thus, we need the best training they can get and the best compensation package so teachers can live decent and dignified lives.”
Surely, any sane and reasonable person, or for that matter society, will disagree that a P5,262.00 take home pay of teachers is anything but decent and/or dignified. There is nothing unique or new in this plea for decent and dignified living for teachers.
However, anyone who seeks an answer can only take comfort in Bob Dylan’s declaration, the answer my friend is blowing in the wind, every day, every school year.
Sir Loto’s untimely death has the air of impeccably timing—the start of the school year 2012-2013. He will not partake anymore of the expanding and newly installed twelve (12) year educational program of the government that everyone seems to be excited about.
One thing is sure though, Sir Loto’s death robbed so many young souls of encountering such a brilliant mind and such a generous character that no new educational program(s) can do or undo.
Indeed, I have to say that this school year begins with the heaviest of heart, not only because V. Mapa High or the public schools have lost a decent and intelligent teacher, but also because a good-natured friend from childhood passed away and will surely be missed.
You can connect with me at tobe_wtdpoor@yahoo.com
