As face to face classes return on Monday, August 22, two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officers committed to help in teaching students on the remote Pagasa Island in Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan in West Philippine Sea.

PCG Ensigns Jev Latic, 27, and Arnel Gomora, 24, will juggle their work as station commander and deputy station commander, respectively, at the PCG Station Kalayaan to teach incoming learners for the upcoming opening of classes.

Latic and Gomora, who are both licensed teachers, decided to assist Realyn Limbo, the lone teacher who handles all the students from Grades 1 to 6 on Pagasa Island.

“Nakita natin ang pangangailangan ng karagdagang guro sa Isla. Dito nga sa mainland, damang-dama natin yung pinagdadaanang hirap ng mga guro para sa pagbubukas ng klase, papaano pa kaya sa Isla na si Teacher Realyn Limbo lang ang nag-aasikaso ng lahat? (We have seen the need for additional teachers in the island. Here in mainland, we already feel the struggles of the teachers for the opening of the classes, what more in the island where only Teacher Realyn Limbo handles everything?),” said Commodore Rommel Supangan, commander of PCG District Palawan.

This was the reason why Supangan said he immediately coordinated with Kalayaan Mayor Roberto Del Mundo to provide learning materials and other forms of assistance to Limbo and the students.

When Latic and Gomora learned about Supangan’s initiative to help Pagasa students, they also volunteered to teach the students. Latic and Gomora both finished a degree in elementary education.

Relatedly, National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos and Auxiliary Commodore Sara Soliven De-Guzman, of the PCG Auxiliary Executive Squadron, launched the PCG-Operation Brotherhood (OB) Community Center on Pagasa Island last August 17.

The initiative sought to broaden the knowledge of the youth on Pagasa on the natural resources of the island, and encourage them to protect it.

In coordination with the OB Community Foundation, Inc., Carlos and De Guzman inaugurated the PCG-OB Community Center which was filled with various learning materials and other educational tools for the youths of Pagasa Island.

"Kahit malayo, kahit mahirap, patuloy tayong makikiisa sa pagbibigay ng kapaki-pakinabang na edukasyon sa mga kabataan ng Pag-asa Island dahil naniniwala tayo na malaking bagay ang edukasyon sa pagkakaroon ng magandang kinabukasan (No matter how far or how difficult it would be, we should continue to help in providing quality education to the youth of Pagasa Island because we believe that it would pave the way for them to have a better future),” Supangan concluded.