Summary
Highlights
Teacher Annie embarks on a challenging journey to Labo, a remote community in Mindoro Oriental, navigating mountains, rivers, and treacherous paths. Despite the difficulties, she feels a strong calling to teach the indigenous Mangyan people, finding fulfillment that surpasses her previous comfortable job in a private school.
Teacher Annie, along with her co-teacher Kristel, has been teaching in Sitio Labo for two years. Despite the lack of electricity and clean water, they are touched by the Mangyans' generosity. They even hold evening classes for adult Mangyans, teaching them to read and write, seeing it as crucial for their future and a way to prevent them from being exploited.
Dina, a 20-year-old Mangyan, is one of Teacher Annie's students. She was previously forbidden to go to school by her father. Now, with her father gone and her mother sick, Dina carries the responsibility of her family. She attends school only three days a week to work and earn money, a sacrifice highlighting the difficult choices many Mangyan children face.
To earn money for her sick mother's medication, Dina carries heavy loads of bananas from the mountains to a buyer. The bananas, affected by a typhoon, yield very little. She earns only P14.50, barely enough for two tablets of medicine, showcasing the harsh economic realities faced by the community.
Despite the hardships, Dina remains hopeful. Teacher Annie and Kristel often help Dina by providing her with rice and sardines in exchange for her assistance with chores. Teacher Annie was offered a more comfortable teaching position in the lowlands but chose to stay in Labo, demonstrating her deep commitment to the Mangyan community and her desire to leave a lasting legacy.