Doing board work in class.leave from work. Not only did thescholarship help Michelle gradu<strong>at</strong>ecum laude in 2000, it also enabledher to get an additional 18 units ofeduc<strong>at</strong>ion subjects to qualify for theLicensure Exam for Teachers (LET)which she passed the same year.Th<strong>at</strong> same year, Michelle took upbachelor of laws <strong>at</strong> Manila Law Collegeand gradu<strong>at</strong>ed class valedictorian.In 2009, she received a scholarshipgrant on Strengthening Leadershipthru Innov<strong>at</strong>ive Jurisprudence andResponsive Citizenship under the US-Philippines Exchange Program fundedby the US St<strong>at</strong>e Department throughthe Michigan St<strong>at</strong>e University, inpartnership with Xavier University inCagayan de Oro.Today, Sr. Insp. Bonto isn’t showingany sign of stopping her pursuit tolearn more as she completes herthesis for her master of arts in specialeduc<strong>at</strong>ion, major in developmentaldisabilities <strong>at</strong> St. Paul College-Manila.Giving the blessings backHer commitment to be of serviceinspired her to stay in governmentservice, particularly <strong>at</strong> BJMP, for 19years. “I probably have high levelsof idealism,” she says. “I love thegovernment so much—I becamewh<strong>at</strong> I am right now because ofwh<strong>at</strong> I got from the government.”Heeding the call to become aneduc<strong>at</strong>or while being a civil servantwas easy for Michelle. It is somethingth<strong>at</strong> her mentors have long ingrainedin her through their examples.“Aside from my family, my teachersare my heroes. I competed in quizbees in t<strong>at</strong>tered clothes. My teachersnurtured me and made me see thedifference between a dream and avision. They made me see educ<strong>at</strong>ionas my ticket out of poverty. Mymentors made me realize mypotentials. They have blessed mewith their gifts, now it’s my turn tobe a blessing to others.”Opening doors for learningTo prepare for the educ<strong>at</strong>ion programin SICA-1, Bonto sought accredit<strong>at</strong>ionas an ALS Instruction Manager. InJuly 2013, she launched theAltern<strong>at</strong>ive Learning SystemAccredit<strong>at</strong>ion and Equivalency(ALS A&E) course under the“Tagapangalaga Ko, Guro Ko” programof the BJMP, in partnership with theDepartment of Educ<strong>at</strong>ion (DepEd)Bureau of Altern<strong>at</strong>ive LearningSystem. The launch was graced byFelizardo M. Serapio, Jr. from theoffice if the President, and BJMP-NCRRegional Director JSSupt. Romeo S.Vio.According to DepEd’s website, theALS is a “parallel learning systemin the Philippines th<strong>at</strong> provides apractical option to the existingformal instruction.” It includes“both the non-formal and informalsources of knowledge and skills.”ALS has two major programs: BasicLiteracy Program, and ContinuingEduc<strong>at</strong>ion Program-Accredit<strong>at</strong>ionand Equivalency (A&E). Bothprograms are “modular andflexible.”With the support of the inm<strong>at</strong>es’leaders, the program had an initialenrollment of 36 learners. Elevenof them were enrolled in lowerelementary and 25 in the secondarylevel. Twenty-eight of the enrolleesare suspected members of the AbuSayyaf Group, four are allegedmembers of the NPA, three aremembers of the Sputnik gang, and oneis an alleged member of theMoro Islamic Liber<strong>at</strong>ion Front.Classes are held twice a week withMichelle and other assistant teachersdevoting two to four hours persession, depending on the moduleand the difficulty of learning. “Iteach topics th<strong>at</strong> I think they need.Sometimes, they request a lessonon a topic th<strong>at</strong> they had a hard timewith. They can take their moduleswith them. Sometimes, we do se<strong>at</strong>work and check them the nextsession.”30 KABABAIHAN<strong>at</strong>KAPAYAPAAN March 2015
Reaping the rewardsBonto sees to it th<strong>at</strong> she shows respectfor the inm<strong>at</strong>es’ culture and beliefs.“In order for me to be understood, Ineed to understand their religion first.Even with the way I dress, especiallywhen I teach. I try to learn the thingsth<strong>at</strong> I think are important to them.”“Aside from myfamily, my teachersare my heroes.”With ALS, the inm<strong>at</strong>es are introducedto different perspectives they weren’taware of before. One inm<strong>at</strong>e, Najer(not his real name), who has been inSICA-1 for 13 years, shares: “Ngayon,kahit paano, n<strong>at</strong>ututo kami unti-untitungkol sa buhay. Dahil sa ALS, mayroonkaming nalalaman na impormasyon,mga kaugalian na di namin alam d<strong>at</strong>i.Nasasabi sa amin iyong mga nangyayarisa gobyerno <strong>at</strong> sa labas kahit nanditokami.” (Somehow we are learning littleby little about life. Because of ALS,we now have access to inform<strong>at</strong>ion,things we didn’t know about before.We are informed about wh<strong>at</strong>’shappening in government and outsideeven if we are here.)The hard work and commitment paidoff when 12 of the first ALS learnerswere able to pass the Elementaryand High School EquivalencyExams in April 2014. To celebr<strong>at</strong>etheir achievement, SICA-1 held agradu<strong>at</strong>ion ceremony <strong>at</strong>tended by therel<strong>at</strong>ives of the gradu<strong>at</strong>ing class.Warden Bonto made sure th<strong>at</strong> theinm<strong>at</strong>es would experience theambiance of a proper gradu<strong>at</strong>ion.“DepEd lent us togas. The goodUndersecretary Serapio don<strong>at</strong>ed shoesfor the inm<strong>at</strong>es. I went to Marikina tobuy the shoes using paper cutouts oftheir feet.”Aside from the small victory, somegood things have happened to keepher motiv<strong>at</strong>ed. Before he was releasedfrom detention, Amer (not his realname), one of the first ALS gradu<strong>at</strong>eswho was acquitted of the chargesagainst him, informed her th<strong>at</strong> acollege was already waiting for him toenroll in the coming school year.Having a supportive family also keepsMichelle grounded. It helps th<strong>at</strong> herhusband, who is also an officer <strong>at</strong>BJMP, understands th<strong>at</strong> Michelle putsher heart in everything she does.While being a warden may seem likea 24/7 duty, Michelle is able to retre<strong>at</strong>to a home made cozy by the music ofher children.“I am the mother of two potentiallygifted kids. Imagine the challenge weface as husband and wife on how tokeep our two children focused, withtheir intellect, curiosity, restlessness,and energy. Our home is adorned withtheir oil paintings on canvass and themusic th<strong>at</strong> fills our house is from theirsinging, piano and drum playing.”Michelle Bonto doesn’t know whereshe gets all the energy to jugglebeing a wife and mother, teacherand warden. “I’m able to do all thosethings maybe because I love wh<strong>at</strong> I’mdoing,” she smiles.Increasing numbers, growingneedsAs evidence of the success of the firstALS in SICA-1, the number of enrolleesfor the second b<strong>at</strong>ch of studentshas increased. Today, SICA-1 has 13learners for elementary, and 31 forhigh school.Ruy (not his real name), whopassed the High School EquivalencyExam, said “Marami kaming n<strong>at</strong>utuhan.Lalo iyong mga bagay na hindi naminnapag-aralan sa labas kagaya ng publicspeaking. Mayroon din kaming alamkaunti tungkol sa b<strong>at</strong>as.” (We havelearned a lot, especially about thingsth<strong>at</strong> we did not learn when we wereoutside like public speaking. Wenow also know a little bit about thelaw.)While evidently a measure of theprogram’s success, the increase inthe number of learners has raisedthe demand for the modules andincreased expenses. Initially, Bontoshouldered the reproduction of themodules. But as the need has grown,she has sought the help of goodsamaritans. In 2014, she was able toraise funds for the reproduction of 30sets each of the ALS A&E modules forelementary and high school.The initial help was enough tocover the needs of the currentlearners. However, there will befuture enrollees whose educ<strong>at</strong>ionwill have to be funded. And Michellehas bigger dreams for her wards.While she acknowledges thelimit<strong>at</strong>ions, she wants to provideaccess to college educ<strong>at</strong>ion for thedetainees who have passed thesecondary level.Beyond SICA-1, she also dreamsof providing former inm<strong>at</strong>es withan aftercare program, “Beyondwardenship, I would like to be a partof an organiz<strong>at</strong>ion or program th<strong>at</strong>will help c<strong>at</strong>er to the needs ofreleased inm<strong>at</strong>es and their familiesduring the transition phase as theyintegr<strong>at</strong>e into mainstream society.”An impossible dream? Sr. Insp.Michelle Bonto relies on her faithth<strong>at</strong> God will provide.March 2015KABABAIHAN<strong>at</strong>KAPAYAPAAN31
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