OVERSEAS Filipino educators have been doing volunteer work to share global teaching practices in the Philippines, according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).
CFO Chairman Dante Ang II hailed the Teaching and Research at the Association of Fil-Am Teachers of America (AFTA), which helps lead the long-running Balikturo program in transforming education in the Philippines, particularly in its most underserved classrooms.
“These teachers are planting seeds of transformation. Their work is quiet, consistent, and deeply impactful,” Ang said during Friday’s episode of “The Chairman’s Report” which he hosted and featured Rizalina Labanda, a retired New York-based educator and longtime literacy advocate and AFTA vice president.
AFTA received the 2018 Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award from the CFO under the Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas.
Now in its 31st year, Balikturo has been conducted in partnership with local divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) and reaches public school teachers in provinces.
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“Balikturo is a missionary, should I say, work of AFTA. Coming back to the Philippines, to our homeland, and reaching out to the communities,” Labanda said.
“So we have teachers from New York, not only New York, but neighboring states that are AFTA members. When they come home to the Philippines to reunite with family, with friends, they spare time to do Balikturo,” she added.
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In July alone, AFTA’s Balikturo session trained 560 teachers from around 100 schools in early literacy, math, science, and emerging topics like artificial intelligence.
“Most of the teachers coming from the States are math teachers, science… we also have the science of reading, which I represent for the elementary. We come and then do those teachings, try to reach out to our counterparts in the Philippines. And we learn from each other; it’s not just one way,” Labanda said.
The program is volunteer-run and self-funded, she said.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be of service, to give back to our community. There’s no retirement actually. It’s really giving back to the community,” Labanda said.
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Ang underscored the importance of such programs to the government’s broader education and diaspora engagement agenda.
AFTA also runs several long-standing programs such as Adopt a School, Adopt a Scholar, and the Paaralan sa Konsulado program in New York.
The latter teaches Filipino language, values and culture to children of immigrants growing up abroad, Labanda said.
“You will be amazed when they are taught how to do the ‘mano po.’ All those values that we have and prayers also. That’s part of our culture,” she said.
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AFTA has also partnered with local publishers such as Lampara Books and Filipino community donors to support education missions.
