A legacy of nurturing children

Day Care Teachers in Kalawisan.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/DOREEN SY MALOLOY-ON)

Myrna Bensi-Manayon was 28 years old when she was asked to be the first day care worker of Barangay Calawisan, Lapu-Lapu City.

The work offered no pay; but she readily accepted the challenge.

Manayon, or Ma’am Myrna to many, finished high school at Saint Alphonsus Catholic School in Lapu-Lapu City on a scholarship.

She did not go to college; but she always wanted to become a teacher.

Without hesitation, Manayon started the day care with only four pupils.

“In 1980, it started out as a feeding project of Imelda (Marcos) so I went around to gather children between three to five years old. People did not believe about early childhood education then,” said Manayon, now 66 years old.

She recalled that the children were provided with sweet corn and bulgur (dried, cracked wheat) by the government and classes were held in the basement of a house.

“I love teaching children. You have that privilege to shape their minds. That is a responsibility that I was excited to take,” she told Cebu Daily News in an interview.

Five years after Manayon began teaching the kids of Barangay Calawisan, a foundation funded the construction of a daycare center on a lot owned by the Bensi family in 1985.

On the same year, the center got its accreditation from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Manayon started to receive a monthly honorarium of P100.

Once again, she patiently went around the village to convince more parents to send their children to day care.

Thinking that their kids were simply too young to be made to study, the parents were at first hesitant to heed Ma’am Myrna’s invitation.

But Manayon persisted and before long, she was able to gather about 30 pupils for the daycare center.

Since then, at least two generations of Calawisanons have been nurtured and taught by Ma’am Myrna.

People like Cindy Ramoneda, 41, who remembers her classes at Calawisan Centro Day Care Center to be filled with songs and dances.

Ramoneda, an entrepreneur, said she learned the alphabet through Ma’am Myrna’s action songs.

“She is so good in teaching children. Remembering my days in daycare with Ma’am Myrna is a happy memory,” said Ramoneda whose eldest daughter, 20-year-old Joeshcin Ashley was also Manayon’s pupil.

Roots

Born on September 2, 1952, Manayon is the youngest of seven children.

At 19 years old, she eloped with her boyfriend, Bienvenido Manayon, a resident from the nearby village of Barangay Babag.

They have three children: Charlotte Grace Lenizo , Carter Manayon and Charise Tanudra.

Because they both did not have jobs, Myrna Manayon managed to make ends meet by washing clothes and selling banana and camote cue. But in her heart, she always dreamed of becoming a teacher.

“When I became a day care teacher, it was a dream come true. When parents got word about the day care, pupils just arrived on my doorstep,” she recounted.

Except for minimal contributions needed for school events like Nutrition Day, Buwan ng Wika, English Month, United Nations Day, Children’s Month, Christmas parties and Recognition Day, the day care services are free.

During special occasions, residents gather in the covered court to watch day care activities that are colorful and fun.

Manayon taught at the daycare center for 36 years until she suffered from a heart attack in October 2016.

“She still went back to teaching when she recovered to finish the school year in April 2017. She was in a wheelchair,” said her youngest daughter, Charise of her mother’s dedication.

Manayon wanted Charise, a registered teacher, to take over her job as day care teacher.

By then, Manayon was receiving a measly P5,000 monthly honorarium broken down as: P3,000 from the barangay and P2,000 from the Lapu-Lapu City government.

Charise, who was already working for a non-government organization (NGO) with a monthly salary of P12,000, was not interested to take over her mother’s job as she also needed to help Manayon pay for the cost of her medicines and household expenses.

“She said she will just close the center. I agreed. But that night, I could not sleep. I felt that the day care center is her legacy and I should continue it,” said Charise.

In June 2017,Charise resigned from her job and took over her mother’s role as the barangay’s day care teacher.

Today, the Calawisan daycare center has 120 pupils enrolled in the morning and afternoon sessions.

Magna carta

Daycare teachers in the Philippines normally receive a low monthly honorarium.

In the case of Charise,who had to give up a better-paying NGO job, she receives a relatively higher pay of P8,000 monthly — P5,000 from the barangay and P3,000 from the city.

The low pay for daycare teachers has prompted the sector to advocate for the passage of a law which aimed to improve their social and economic well-being.

House Bill 6550 or the Magna Carta of Day Care Workers was unanimously approved on third and final reading at the House of Representatives last November 2017.

It is expected to benefit over 84,000 daycare workers nationwide, according to Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, the bill’s principal author.

The bill provides for the creation of at least one Day Care Worker I and one Day Care Worker II plantilla positions that will be entitled to Salary Grade 6 and Salary Grade 8 respectively, for each government daycare center across the country.

The bill also entitles them to additional benefits and privileges such as free legal services, free medical examination and treatment and access to livelihood, loans, grants and skills enhancement and same municipality or city assignment for married couples who are both daycare workers.

The bill provides that all daycare workers shall automatically become members of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth and shall be entitled to maternity/paternity, sick, and vacation leaves.

Achievement

Manayon, who is now retired, will no longer enjoy the benefits of the law once it is implemented.

But she is happy to have served Barangay Calawisan for more than three decades.

Before an audience of more than 200 children and parents last August 11 during a “Mother and Child Day” organized by Cebu Nanays for Nanays and Basadours Inc. at the daycare center, Manayon spoke on how grateful she was for the opportunity to teach them.

During the event, the children were treated to storytelling and art sessions, food, and a dance number by the “Jollibee” mascot.

The fast food company also donated school signs to the daycare center; while the mothers had a make-up and livelihood session with Avon.

A one-hour zumba class was also held with dance instructor Arlu Patalinghug-Orat.

In the midst of all the festivities, Manayon was honored for her contribution in caring for the children of Barangay Calawisan.

“I do not regret the long hours and the sacrifices. I have learned to love the children and I will always be grateful,” she said to a room full of tearful parents, who once were her students too.