Zamboanga Peninsula is a hub of diverse culture and beliefs. It is home for many brothers and sisters of various faiths that share a harmonious relationship despite the differences. This harmony is seen in its people as they live their lives helping one another for the betterment of their individual communities.

Though some beliefs are conflicting between and amongst people in some parts of the region, respect and genuine desire to help wins over differences. This story of a Community Facilitator tells exactly how dissimilarities in beliefs and culture are set aside in the name of public service.

Madznie Amilassan-Hali, a Community Facilitator under Modified Conditional Cash-Transfer (MCCT) Program in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, is a native that embraces her religion of Islam. In more occasions than not, Madznie deals with clients who are as diverse in many ways as they are.

As a Community Facilitator, it is her duty to facilitate the project proposals of the beneficiaries and to monitor the sustainability and progress of the project. One of her assigned barangays identified piggery as their proposed project. It is not unknown to many that pig (or pork) is considered ‘haram’ or forbidden in Islam. A believer must not have a direct contact to such.

“As her immediate supervisor, I was expecting that she would decline the project as it goes against her beliefs. But being professional as she is, I was proved wrong. She took the project and handled the monitoring very well. Now that is professionalism with utmost dedication,” says Ma. Cleofe Solamillo, Provincial Link of Zamboanga del Norte.

DSWD upholds its mission to reach out to the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals without biases and prejudices. Anchored by their core values: Maagap at Mapagkalingang Serbisyo, Serbisyong Walang Puwang sa Katiwalian, at Patas na Pagtrato sa Komunidad, the department, together with its people, continues to serve the public with utmost dedication and commitment.

Madznie’s brand of genuine public service reflects the core values of DSWD. She is able to maintain professionalism in performing her duties and at the same time, follow and keep her strong faith and good relationship with Allah.

Regional Director of DSWD-9, Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo, always emphasizes the importance of respect in all aspects of life.

“We pay as much respect to our colleagues especially those in the field as we do to our beneficiaries. They are really the pillars of this institution that continuously and wholeheartedly give passion and dedication to deliver the mandates of the department. Their service shows the Malasakit of DSWD as the lead agency in promoting social welfare,” says Regional Director Solamillo.

They say that finding your true purpose in life is like looking for a thread in a sea of pebbles. It’s difficult. It’s a lot of work. But it’s not impossible. Many find it hard to look for their purpose but for Sitti Aisa Taraji (now Askalani), at a very young age, she knew what and whom she lives for.

Very ideal and cliché as it may sound, it was clear to her that she wanted to serve the Filipino people. At first, she thought that being a teacher would bring her to the purpose that her heart longed for. Little did she know, Allah had a more exciting plan for her.

Life brought her to a world that was alien to her –the life of a Social Worker. It was so unfamiliar that people around her doubted her judgment on career choice. Many has been said about her being a Social Worker –that she was groomed to be a street sweeper; that she cannot grow as a professional; and even compared her to her siblings who are all in the medical field.

But despite of all the criticisms that she received for making such a decision, she stood firm to her desire to be an instrument of hope and service to many underprivileged families. In her heart, she was already very blessed that she has a rather convenient life. So the least that she can do is to share her blessings and create a significant impact to humanity.

In an interview, Aisa narrated how inspired she was when she started as a House Parent in 1998. She was already a Registered Social Worker then. After her short stint, she volunteered her service to the DSWD until she decided to apply for a position in the department.

“Kahit na Registered Social Worker na ako nun, hindi ko inisip na dapat regular position agad ang makuha ko. Okay lang kahit magvolunteer ako. Para sa akin, basta lang makatulong ako sa kapwa okay na yun sakin.”

(Though I was already a Registered Social Worker then, I didn’t mind being a volunteer. For me, as long as I am able to help the needy, I’m good with it,)” Aisa said with a smile on her face.

Fast-forward to 2016, she became the head of the Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU). Her daily life since she moved from the center was filled by seeing clients in the office waiting for assistance.

“Makikita mo sa mukha nila yung hirap ng pinagdadaanan nila, yung tinitiis nila yung gutom habang nasa pila. Nasasaktan akong makita na handa sila ilagay sa alanganin ang kalusugan nila para makasigurado lang na matatanggap nila ang tulong mula sa ating opisina. (Their struggles are seen on their faces. They would endure hunger while in the line. And it pains me to see that they are willing to put their health at risk just to ensure to receive the assistance from our office,)” Aisa added.

To make the clients more comfortable while waiting for the grant of their requests, the CIU in DSWD-9, through the initiative of Aisa, provides refreshments, cup noodles, biscuits, and coffee with the help of the CIU staff.

Aisa narrated that it was a bit challenging at first because there was no budget for such. Through her ingenuity and impressive interpersonal skills, she was able to gather food and drinks despite the lack of budget. She said that her rapport, clean track record and good relationship with colleagues have really helped her in this initiative.

It brought joy to Aisa to know that this simple gesture is appreciated by the clients. After all, public service must not compromise the health of the beneficiaries.

This very simple gesture also contributed to the significant increase in the number of clients handled by the unit. From 6,000 clients served in 2015, the unit was able to serve 11,000 beneficiaries in 2016 and even increased to 18,000 people served in 2017. Truly, word of mouth is a powerful tool to let people know of our services.

If you come to think of it, it was really just a small gesture, a small pebble in the gigantic services that the department gives to clients. Who would have thought that this very small gesture would result to so much trust and appreciation from the beneficiaries?

Maybe it was because of the satisfying food. Maybe it was because of the refreshing drinks. Or maybe it was because of the genuine care that the people in the DSWD such as Aisa showed for the needy and disadvantaged.

As our interview with Aisa ended, she left a statement that sounded like it come from the bottom of a sincere heart.

“It’s not about the recognition. It’s never about it. It is about being human, about finding your sense of fulfillment, about giving glory to Allah (or God in Christian faith), and about giving hope to those who may have felt hopeless,” Aisa said.

She may not have a very lucrative job as her siblings and others who doubted her do, at least to herself, Aisa knows that she has fulfilled her purpose and leave a mark in this world.

Aisa Askalani personally explains medical assistance of CIU to a client with her child.

While some would say that the children are the future of our nation, others would probably suggest that they already play a vital role in the society as early as now. But the question is, would they still remain the hope of the society when some of them are in conflict with the law?

In 1979, the Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth (RRCY) started its operation as an institution mandated to provide intensive treatment in a residential setting for the rehabilitation of the children in conflict with the law (CICL) whose sentences have been suspended. It serves as a nurturing out-of-home placement for those who are in need of rehabilitation. This is in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 603 known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code of the Philippines and Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice System and Welfare Act of 2008 which provides that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall establish this rehabilitation facility.

Currently, the DSWD Field Office IX is operating its 5-hectare rehabilitation facility headed by Ma. Salome E. Mangubat at Anastacio, Polanco in the Province of Zamboanga del Norte. Mangubat serves as the family head of the 65 children mostly 16-17 years old in RRCY. According to her, most of the cases of their clients have something to do with crimes against property like robbery and theft. It is followed by crimes against persons like murder and rape and those cases with special laws involving the use and selling of illegal drugs, anti-carnapping, and violation of anti-endangered species, among others. She recalls that during the establishment of the said facility in 1979, only five children were initially admitted with two house parents. Today, there are 14 regular staff managing the center who are well-trained and competent with six house parents. Four of them were given by the Provincial Governor of ZDN upon the request of Mangubat. “I never expected that we would have four additional workers given by the governor. I only tried sending him a letter and eventually he fulfilled our request immediately,” said Mangubat. For her, one of the strengths of the center is its ability to effectively coordinate and partner with local government units (LGUs).

Furthermore, the center has 134-bed capacity higher than 50 being the standard requirement. “In terms of services, we continuously look for ways to provide better and effective services especially for case management,” said Mangubat.

The center conducts regular activities facilitated by different sections of the rehabilitation team to address the needs of the clients. Under the Home Life Section, they do daily Therapeutic Community (TC) and group sessions.  They also have sports and recreational activities. Furthermore, the center also teaches, monitors, and guides their clients on home life activities like doing household chores, building brotherhood relationships, and maintenance of cleanliness and orderliness within the facility.

A general assembly meeting is also regularly held to determine the issues and concerns among and between the clients. Meanwhile, the children also undergo psychological test, evaluation and counselling (one-on-one and group). Others are also referred for psychiatric evaluation.

The center likewise facilitates the appearances of CICL to court hearings. They have a “good and close coordination” with courts and legal counsels and has an ongoing advocacy to local social welfare offices, and other partners of the diversion program and release on recognizance of CICL whose cases are non-heinous in response to the fast increasing number of admissions in the center. The rehabilitation facility also conducts case conference and a dialogue with visiting parents.

Under the Manpower and Development Officer (MDO) Section, the center facilitates skills training to its clients in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). With this, the center would like to ensure that all CICL will be given a life skills training that could be useful upon their release from the center. “Actually, we started with these skills trainings in 1981, but there was no assessment yet during that time. It was only in 2015 when we had assessment in different qualifications like carpentry, masonry, tile setting, plumbing, and electrical installation and maintenance among others,” said Mangubat. Early this year, 20 CICL took the competency assessment in Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II and 18 of them passed it.

Aside from these, the clients also participate in community clean-ups and yearly testimonial dinner. The latter activity aims to invite clients who were once detained in the center to share their success stories with the CICL to serve as inspiration. In terms of spiritual enhancement program, the center conducts daily rosary for Catholics and bible-sharing for Non-Catholics. Meanwhile for Muslims, they are being escorted every Friday to the mosque to pray.

As of November 25, the center already accomplished a percentage of 151.11% out of the annual target to serve 90 CICL. Mangubat added that “out of the target to discharge 30 CICL for the whole year, the center has already accomplished a percentage of 190%.”

RRCY, as mandated to provide CICL with the treatment and interventions to enable them to improve their social functioning with the end goal of reintegration to their families and communities, ensures that these children will live a life that is worth living. There is still hope for them. In fact, “when the world says give up, hope whispers, try it one more time.” Indeed, the children are the hope of this nation and with our continuous efforts to provide them the best facility for rehabilitation, there is no reason that one day, they shall rise again and be the change they want to see in other young children.

The new guidelines for Listahanan data-sharing were officially presented to more than 30 social protection stakeholders in a forum held last November 7 at Grand Astoria Hotel, Zamboanga City.

“The activity aimed to encourage more stakeholders to utilize the data generated by Listahanan in 2015,” said the Regional Field Coordinator of National Household Targeting Unit-ARMM-BaSulTa, Ben Nasser B. Isnain.

During the activity, the participants were oriented on the background and objectives of Listahanan. It was explained that the information management system aims to establish an objective targeting system and reduce the leakage (inclusion of non-poor) and under-coverage (exclusion of the poor) in social protection programs and services. A discussion of the process involved in the targeting system was also conducted. Furthermore, some of the highlights of the 2015 assessment results were also shared to them.

According to Isnain, accessing the data from Listahanan is guided by laws and issuances related to data-sharing, and data protection and security. One of these laws is the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Under its general provisions, it states that it is the policy of the state to protect the fundamental human right or privacy, of communication while ensuring free flow of information to promote innovation and growth.

Aside from these, there was also a discussion of Proxy Means Test (PMT), a statistical model used by Listahanan in order to estimate the income of the households assessed using 52 proxy variables reflected in the Households Assessment Forms (HAFs).

Moreover, the Regional Information Technology Officer, Alexander S. Ansao II explained to the participants the guidelines for data requests. These guidelines shall accordingly apply to requests pertaining to the use and/or access of the database of poor families by social protection stakeholders, including the academe.

Based on the guidelines, a stakeholder who would like to request for statistical data is required to submit a letter of request addressed to the regional director enumerating the specific data needed, the purpose of the request, and the timeline of the releasing of data. Furthermore, those who would like to request for either personal information or sensitive personal information from the information management system must enter into Memorandum of Agreement with DSWD and should designate a Data Protection Officer (DPO) who shall plan, implement, and evaluate policies for data privacy and security in accordance with the aforementioned law on data privacy. Likewise, an annual report of how the data was utilized in the implementation of social protection programs and services must also be submitted to the field office through the NHTU.

The Listahanan or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) is an information management system that provides a database of poor families as reference in identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs.

The National Household Targeting Unit (NHTU) officially completed the assessment of 1,329 households last October 10 during the conduct of On-Demand Application (ODA) in Isabela City, Basilan.

According to the Regional Field Coordinator (RFC), Michael D.S. Mustafa, “Eighty-seven percent (87%) or 1,522 of the target households were met.”

Twenty-one (21) barangays were involved during the data-gathering with Barangay Sumagdang (193) having the most number of households  assessed. It was followed by Lanote (183), San Rafael (122), Kaumpurnah Zone II (101), and Lampinigan Island  (91).

Mustafa added that “the assessment went easier than expected” since the unit prior to the said activity coordinated with the mayor of Isabela City together with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), Social Welfare and Development Team (SWADT), city links, and barangay officials.

Immediately after the completion of ODA assessment, the encoding of Household Assessment Forms (HAFs) followed last October 24. Meanwhile, it is expected to be completed within 15 days. “As of now, 721 HAFs were already encoded out of 1,329 HAFs and we’re targeting to finish the encoding by November 10,” said Mustafa.

During the second round of assessment conducted by Listahanan in 2015, the National Household Targeting Office (NHTO) recorded 260,118 Exclusion (EX) 02 complaints during the Validation Phase. According to NHTO, the number included households who were away on a long vacation and those not visited by an enumerator during the Data Collection Phase. The reasons could have been their locations were not classified as pockets of poverty (in the case of urban dwellers) or there were ongoing or intermittent armed conflict, time and fiscal constraints during the collection of data. In Isabela City,  1,522 households filed for requests to be included in the special validation.

At present, the NHTO looks forward to officially close the Listahanan 2 database and generate the final list of poor households that will be shared to social protection stakeholders as their primary reference of potential beneficiaries (for protection programs and services). The data generated from ODA will be incorporated in the said database and will also be utilized in coming up with the national profile of the poor. Furthermore, the Listahanan data may also be used in planning, validation, and research among others.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office through Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) held its 3rd celebration of Paskujuan last December 10, 2017 at Paseo del Mar, Open Ground, Zamboanga City.

Paskujuan o “Pasko ni Juan” is an annual event of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) wherein the highlight of the activity is the program participant’s product display to the general public. Twenty two (22) SLP and Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) Associations participated in this activity.

“Alalahanin po natin na ang tunay na diwa ng pasko ay ang pagbibigay. Ang pinaka-best na atin pong maibigay na regalo ay ang ating pagtangkilik po sa ating produkto ng ating mga tunay na Juan.” Ramina S. Dimalapang, SLP Regional Program Coordinator expressively said.

Aside from the product display, simultaneously, a Job Fair was conducted in partnership with Public Employment Service Office (PSEO) held at Centro Latino which was open for beneficiaries and walk -in applicants. There were ten (10) local and international epmployers during the event.

“Paskujuan is a special event to highlight the significant change of our Sustainable Livelihood Program. It is a celebration of thanksgiving and empowerment after having been engaged in the economic activity not only their skills and development but also their quality of life.” said Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo CESO II, Regional Director.

It was a whole-day full of entertainment, and camaraderie among the participants. Every Juan went home happily. Apart from the Noche Buena gift packs they won from the raffle draw, all of the participants received food packs.

In line with the celebration of National Children’s Month, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is holding its 6th National Children’s Congress (NCC) from November 14-17, 2017 in Metro Manila.

About 88 children-beneficiaries of 4Ps representing the different provinces and Highly Urbanized Cities (HUCs) nationwide are participating in the congress including a regional representative from Zamboanga Peninsula.

This year, a 13-year old exemplary Pantawid child hailing from the municipality of Pitogo, Zamboanga del Sur, Jhonn Rey L. Wayco, represents region IX for the national search for Exemplary Pantawid Children 2017 as part of the highlights of the congress.

Wayco was named as the regional champion for Exemplary Pantawid Children in Zamboanga Peninsula last July in which he bested 3 other provincial contenders representing Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, and the cluster of Zamboanga/Isabela City namely Krizle Joy Corpuz, Mary Maica Nicole Elnasin and RJ Somosa, respectively, who are also participants of the NCC.

For the past five years, the NCC has served as a venue to promote the spirit of patriotism among children and the youth by encouraging their involvement in nation building.

Through the NCC, participants identify pressing issues which they believe affect them, and they then provide policy recommendations on the same

“The children of today are more aware of issues that deeply concern them and affect their well-being. They are capable of engaging in actions and deliberations that lead to productive measures that aim to elevate the status of children in society. The recommendations the children will make will serve as valuable input which we will consider as we make more efforts to improve the programs and services of the 4Ps program and the Department itself,” said DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel Leyco.

In 2013, the results of the NCC led to the expansion of the program; one of the recommendations was for the 4Ps program to cover children up until they finish high school or reach the age of 18, whichever comes first. The original design of the program covered only children aged 14 and below.

With this year’s theme, “Mangarap Ka, Batang Pilipino”, the NCC hopes to incite inspiration for Filipino children to continue dreaming despite challenges they face in their respective families, communities, and in Philippine society as a whole.

“My dream is to become a lawyer someday. It may sound cliché but I want to prove to the people that justice is very much alive and there are people willing to serve in the name of fairness and equality. I want to be the voice of those who cannot speak, of the oppressed, and of those who cannot fight in fear of not being heard. I want to bring back the faith in the hearts of the people –the faith in humanity,” Wayco said in an interview.

Several personality-development workshops were prepared for the participants to help them as they explore their dreams for themselves, their family and the community, in general.

“Children from poor families are confronted with so many problems such as violence in the home and they are vulnerable to different forms of abuse. To help children overcome these challenges, the government and its agencies such as the DSWD exert effort to make support mechanisms and programs available to them. Our hope is to strengthen the spirit and will of children from poor families and marginalized sectors so that they can be empowered to fight for their dreams and one day realize them. We need to do all that we can to help Filipino children overcome the challenges of poverty so they can one day own their future roles as productive members of their communities and contribute to a better nation,” OIC Leyco concluded.

From left: Pitogo Municipal Link Vanessa Arbuiz, Maica Elnasin (Zambo del Norte), Krizle Joy Corpuz (Zambo Sibugay), Reynald Baguio (last year’s national champion for Exemplary Children from Dipolog, ZDN), Dipolo City Link Nimfa Tejero, RJ Somosa (Zamboanga City) and this year’s Region IX Exemplary Pantawid Child Jhonn Rey Wayco

The children-beneficiaries of 4Ps together with their City/Municipal Links and Pantawid Information Officers
during the pre-workshop activity of NCC

Last year’s national champion for Exemplary Pantawid Children, Reynald Baguio, and this year’s regional representative for the National Search for Exemplary Pantawid Children, Jhonn Rey Wayco, in a casual talk before their flight to Manila.

“Ayaw ko na mag-aral ulit, matanda na ako. Ibigay mo nalang yan sa iba yung bata ang edad.” Said Marty.

In a simple Barangay Anastacio, Polanco, Zamboanga Del Norte lives a farmer with his wife and four (4) children. Marty A. Celicious, 45, is striving to live and support his family. He plants vegetables for a living, as well as for their own consumption.

Apparently, farming is the main source of income in their place, and Marty narrates that life was very difficult for them since rice is harvested every trimester. They also rely on the income they get from selling his vegetables. He sells it not only in their neighbourhood but he travels to other municipalities just to sell it. Her wife Rose also helps to provide through doing home services like manicure and hairdressing, while their 2 children are in school. Marty also works part-time as a construction worker whenever he is needed; he gets paid 150-200pesos per day.

Rose, on the other hand, is a parent leader; their family are pantawid members since 2009. One day, when Rose was in the municipality to meet her co-beneficiaries, a DSWD worker from Sustainable Livelihood Program approached her. She was asked if she knows someone who is interested to undergo skills training in Electrical Installation and Maintenance. Rose was very eager to share the information to her group and also to her husband Marty. Sadly, Marty was not interested because for him he’s too old to be trained.

“Nakakahiya kung sasali pa ako sa training baka pagtawanan lang ako ng mga kasamahan ko doon.” Said Marty

Rose pushed her husband to register as a participant in the training; Marty granted her wife’s request and went to register. The SLP worker, Ms. Ione Reasonable, who approached Rose told Marty to give his self a chance, and be serious with the opportunity that was given to them, but Marty just smiled.

 Days turned to months and Marty received a call that the seminar for the training will start in an hour. Marty was helping his father that time in their farm harvesting rice. He was carrying a sack of rice while talking over the phone. He was asked to go to the municipal office right away, but Marty declined because he was busy helping his father so he could be able to get his share of rice for his family’s consumption. However, his father allowed him since it was important.

The following day, the training started.

“Huwag kayong a-absent kase sayang. Kapag isang araw kayong um-absent marami kayong maiiwanang lesson na hindi niyo na malalaman sa installation.” Said a TESDA trainor.

Marty never missed a day of opportunity. He became comfortable with his classmates because the participants were mixed; there were teenagers, adults and even people older than him.

After 51 days of training under Electrical Installation and Maintenance capacitated by SLP partner Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Marty and his co-participants were assessed and were able to attain National Certificate II. With their head held high, they marched their way to receive their certificate on their graduation day. They also received their starter kits which are included in their training package.

“Maganda talaga ang pograma ng SLP. Sana ito ay magpatuloy dahil marami talaga ang nangangailangan nito.” Marty emotionally said.

The journey just begun for Marty, he further enhanced his capabilities through studying Trainers Methodology. The outcome of his hard work, effort and determination, he passed the course. He is now a competent Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Trainer. However, he cannot apply for a job just yet, since his papers needed to be processed for 6 months for the certification. While waiting, he had a part-time work in installing electricity in neighbouring barangays of Polanco, he works with a group, installing two (2) lights and one (1) outlet. They are paid worth 500pesos per household. Marty with his co-electricians are paid per package in one barangay, depending on  how many household would want installation. Payment ranges from 15,000-20,000pesos.

“Masasabi ko talagang mas maganda ang programang ito sa SLP. Nakaka-proud kapag nakakadating ako sa ibang lugar, sa munisipyo, makatulong ako sa ibang tao at makapagshare ako ng kaalaman sa iba.”

“Itong programang ito, hindi lang ako ang nangailanagan, marami pa. Hindi talaga magsisisi ang mag-aaral nito.”

Marty cannot contain his happiness on how he achieved his accomplishments in life. With wide smiles and flashy happy laughter as he shared the changes in is life.

“Dati sumasahod lang ako ng 200 pesos, hindi naman yun araw-araw. Pero ngayon kapag binigyan ako ng isang item, malaki-laki talaga ang kita. Forty thousand pesos sa fifty one (51) day na pagtuturo. Kung sa isang taon maka tatlong training ako, malaki na talaga.”

Marty’s sole dream is to be able to make his four children finish their studies and have their own good life in the future.

“Proud nga ako na natulungan ako ng SLP kase nakatulong din ako ngayon sa iba. Mahirap talaga paniwalaan na narrating ko ito ngayon. Nagpapasalamat ako sa SLP, akala ko hindi na aangat ang buhay ko. ” Marty dreamily states.

“Sa DSWD, SLP at 4Ps, maganda po talaga ang mga programang ito. Sana ito ay magpatuloy kase marami pa ang nangangailangan hindi lang po ako. Sa kin lang alaki ang pasalamat ko kase natulungan ang aking pamilya lalo na sa aking hanapbuhay na binigyang diin na umunlad po kame dahil sa programang ito, itatagyod sa inabukasan, ito po ay magpatuloy.”

“Sa mga kapwa benepisyaryo, itong skills trainng ay maganda, maganda kaysa tumanggap ka ng pera, dahil ang skills training sa lahat hindi yan mababawi ng iba ang kaalaman mo. Napakahalaga nito, dahil ung kaalaman mo, pagkatao mo, hindi makukuha ng ibang tao. Magagamit mo talaga hindi lang sa dito pilipinas pero pati s ibang bansa.”

Marty is devotedly teaching in the Dipolog Medical Center-College Foundation. He was also given a  number of offers by different schools to train outside his birthplace, but he respectfully declined because he wants to share first his knowledge to his hometown, in the municipality of Polanco.