ISABELA, Basilan (PIA) – Isabela City’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) program celebrated a major milestone recently as 456 students from different districts here completed their basic and junior education.
With the theme “Kabataang Pilipino Para Sa Matatag Na Kinabukasan ng Bagong Pilipinas,” the Isabela City Alternative Learning System Program of the Department of Education (DepEd) commemorated this during a moving-up ceremony.
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Maria Laarni T. Villanueva of DepEd Isabela City Schools Division expressed her appreciation to the learners who worked hard to be able to continue their education through the program.
“Your resilience, passion, and commitment have brought you to this completion ceremony. We are immensely proud of you. May this graduation and completion ceremony be a joyous celebration of your achievements and a stepping stone to a future filled with endless possibilities,” she said.
Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman, who was a guest speaker at the graduation ceremony, inspired the students by sharing some success stories of former ALS alumni who successfully achieved their career goals in life. She also thanked them for their dedication, saying that despite their status and encountering challenges, they still continue with their education.
“Sobrang nagpapasalamat ho ako sa pagtitiyaga ninyo, talagang hindi kayo nag give up. Ito pong pag graduate ninyo ngayon ay napakalaking bagay dahil isa ho itong pinto para sa mga maraming oportunidad. In shaa Allah para sa inyo. Walang mag gigive-up, tuloy-tuloy ito hanggang sa maging kapaki pakinabang tayong miyembro ng ating komunidad hanggang sa kaya na nating hindi lamang tumayo sa dalawa nating paa kundi kaya na nating hilahin pataas ang mga pamilya natin”, the Mayor said.
(I am very grateful for your patience; you really never give up. This graduation today is a huge thing because it is a door for many opportunities in shaa Allah for you. No one will give up; this will continue until we are able to not only stand on our own two feet but we are able to pull our families up.)
Among the notable highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of the 456 candidates for completion by Elma C. Kandum, Division ALS Focal Person, which consists of 227 males and 229 females completing their elementary and junior high school education.
Angel Divine C. Buenbrazo, an ALS junior high school student who completed the course with high honors, shared her story and the challenges she experienced that molded her to be strong and never give up despite them coming her way.
“To young mothers like me out there, even if we fall sometimes, we will get up and stand up because life must go on. Let’s not be shy. The important thing is to be responsible, interested, have a dream, and have determination in life to finish school because it’s all in ALS,” she said.
She stressed the opportunity provided by the ALS program to mothers like her who are given a second chance to finish their education, noting, “It is not too late for individuals who wish to continue their education through this basic literacy program.”
She also expressed her gratitude to DepEd for devising the ALS program, which allows underprivileged students, working students, and out-of-school- youth to return to school, complete their education, and maintain their aspirations for a better future.
Meanwhile, Hatta Amil, who delivered the message of the Department of Education Secretary, Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, emphasized the importance of education in order to succeed.
“Para sa mga kabataang magsisipagtapos, isang mahalagang hakbang ito sa pag-abot ng inyong mga pangarap. Ngunit, umpisa pa lang ito ng malayo ninyong lalakbayin. Ang inyong mga kaalaman ay tiyak na magiging susi sa inyong tagumpay sa hinaharap”, the Vice President’s message said.
(For young graduates, this is an important step in reaching your dreams. But this is just the beginning of your long journey. Your knowledge will surely be the key to your future success.)
She also expressed her deepest admiration for the parents and the guidance of the teachers, who served as the embodiment of MATATAG—the resilience and strength for the challenges ahead.
The Alternative Learning System provides all Filipinos the chance to have access to and complete basic education in a way that fits their distinct situations and needs. It also aims to provide increased opportunities for out-of-school youth in special cases and adult learners, including indigenous people, to develop basic and functional literacy and life skills and pursue an equivalent pathway to complete basic education. (EDT/NDR/SIA-PIA Basilan)
