She is already a teacher par excellence, having received numerous accolades in teaching, but it seems that Jenifer Balisi Oliquiano, Master Teacher I of Cagayan National High School-Junior High Department, has still a long way to go. As she has always said, those recognitions fueled her to become more passionate about her calling as a teacher. For her, she must not rest on her laurels and continue giving her best because there is always room for help from other people.

Teacher Jen is indeed a gem in education, a precious shining example of a dedicated teacher, a passionate advocate of education, and an inspiring beacon of hope for the youth.

And so, the school has become too small for her passions. She went out and extended not only to the whole city but to the province, the region, and even other regions across the country in fulfilling what she calls her reason for living: extending help to needy learners, teaching them not only how to count, but what counts most. 

In 2013-2015, she served as a volunteer alternative learning school facilitator. In 2022, she organized the school learning resource quality assurance team or SLRQAT of Cagayan National High School, which made the evaluation process of contextualized learning materials at the school level more systematic and faster. 

She also introduced e-TRACK, an online repository of contextualized learning materials that are made available anytime they are needed by the school or her fellow teachers.

In 2017, she initiated a project in health dubbed A+ (Atake sa Asthma Agad Agapan) which is now called NebuLife. The project is now in its sixth year. This project aims to provide one unit of nebulizer to public elementary and secondary schools with cases of asthmatic learners and teachers, making first aid treatment always available. To date, a total of 130 Nebulizers have been distributed to all schools in Tuguegarao city, other nearby municipalities, and cities, and some even outside the region. 

The truth is Teacher Jen is also asthmatic. One day, she had an attack so bad that it almost cost her life. She was supervising the cast rehearsals for their school's annual play and she needed to be brought to the hospital because the school had no nebulizer. She did not want anyone to suffer this near-death encounter, and so she resolved to make it her advocacy. NebuLife, no matter how modest, is truly making life more precious, especially for asthmatic learners and teachers.

But it seems there was more in Teacher Jen’s hands. In 2019, she started a project in education originally known as Project TUDO (Tulong-Dunong) but is now more popularly known as Project AGTUDO (Assisting Generously the TUlong-DUnong). 

TUDO is an Ilocano term that means “rain.” She prayed that the rain of grace would fall on learners who were in dire need financially but with a strong desire to improve by studying. The project gives a minimum of 500 pesos to a maximum of 2,500 monthly to every beneficiary. The fund is sourced from the generosity of sponsors who believe in the importance of the project. The project has already helped hundreds of learners since its conception in 2019. 

The project also gave out an amount of 60,000 pesos for the Project Classhome of DepEd Region 02 in Zinundungan Valley in Rizal, Cagayan. She handed the amount to the school heads of the three schools. The project also sent 10,000 pesos to help complete the makeshift classroom of Hampangan National High School in Leyte and 5,000 worth of stress relieving equipment to the CNHS Learning Resource Center.  

For 13 years, Teacher Jen never had a summer vacation, except for one instance. She would report to school even on Saturdays and Sundays, to ensure that tasks were excellently done. Her motivation for working is not the reward people provide her, but the reward she can share with her students and the community after she has fulfilled her tasks. Despite her busy schedule in school, Teacher Jen always makes herself available to serve others and the community.  

And all her efforts paid off. In 2017-2018, she was awarded first Runner-up Most Outstanding Master Teacher in Region 02 by the Department of Education. At Cagayan National High School, she was recognized as a Model Teacher. The Schools Division of Tuguegarao City recognized her as Most Obedient Teacher. In 2018-2019, she was awarded Ulirang Guro of Region 02 by the Manila Teachers’. 

What almost cost her life, she made it her advocacy. What fuels her to teach, she extends to the community. Teacher Jen is the epitome of a teacher who not only goes the extra mile but makes sure that every step of the way, she brings inspiration and hope to the people whose lives she touches. (ALM/PIA region 2 with reports from Amir Aquino)