“It’s the education of the children. When I say education, it’s not only the intellectual; it’s not only the spiritual; but the inner person, their attitude,” she says, making it unsurprising that that the minds she’s helped mold – including that of outgoing President Aqiuno – have gone on to help make this world a better place.
With a teacher like Maruxa, students will always start the school year right.
By ROSARIO MIRANDA
Maruxa Pita, PeopleAsia’s first “People’s Choice†awardee, is a true-blue Española born in Madrid.
She arrived in the Philippines on December 1959 to help establish the Institucion Teresiana School (now known as Saint Pedro Poveda College).
Maruxa, who had been teaching in elementary and in a normal school in Spain, was eager to work in the Philippines. “I was very happy when I received the assignment. I knew it would be a very enriching experience,†she recalls.
P-Noy’s preschool teacher
In the next 13 years, from 1960-1973, she would find herself molding young minds, teaching them subjects such as Religion, Physical Education, Spanish and her specialty — Math. At that time, Institucion Teresiana’s pre-school was coed.
Maruxa fondly recalls that she taught the four older children of the late former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy†Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon “Cory†Aquino, who included current President Benigno “Noynoy†Aquino III. Maruxa says, “They were all together (in school) — Ballsy, Pinky, Noynoy and Viel.†The former teacher also says that President Cory fetched all four children every afternoon herself. “It was very nice to see her,†Maruxa says of President Cory. “I will never forget her.â€
Maruxa would continue forming young minds as a professor at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) College of Education.
But the lady’s greatest adventure was yet to come.
Not just food but education
Being practically an honorary Filipina and a long-time resident of Metro Manila, Maruxa was witness to the woeful situation of out-of-school youths who resorted to begging in order to survive. She wanted to do something more for them. She relates, “Whenever the children would knock on the window of my car, I would just give them cookies. Then I realized that what they really needed was not food but education.â€
In 1996, Maruxa formally set up a foundation with friends Bishop Socrates Villegas, Rev. Fr. Adrian Magnait, Atty. Felix Sison, Nenuca Santos, Pilar Villanueva, Frannie Jacino and many others. They named their initiative the Makabata Foundation Inc. to emphasize their thrust of educating the poorest of the poor children. The program began with just a handful of street kids attending classes at Poveda in the late afternoons when classrooms were vacant. During weekends, Makabata conducted feeding programs.
Heaven for street kids
In January 2001, Makabata School Foundation Inc. moved to a multi-level building in Armel Subdivision in Pasig City. The lovely school then had its own classrooms, a science lab, a computer lab, library and even an annex building. The improvements were made possible through generous donations.
The over-all environment — including the facilities and curriculum — are comparable to a good private school in Metro Manila. One of the best tributes to Makabata School was given by no less than a visiting Department of Education (DepEd) supervisor who had written in the school’s guest book, “Makabata is a heaven for these street children.â€
What began as simply informal tutorials has grown into a private Catholic co-educational school recognized by the DepEd. Makabata School offers preschool, elementary and high school education. All the students are scholars and most (if not all) are children of street vendors and casual workers.
Hope in education
Maruxa turns emotional when she describes the children’s situation. She says, “Every day, they just think of survival. They are very, very poor. They don’t live in houses. They live in caves because their homes do not have windows on the first floor. They are afraid of lights. They are afraid of thieves…It is not rare that there are no less than nine to 10 children in the family. The homes do not have beds. There is no floor, no tiles, nothing.â€
She strongly believes that education is the only way out for these children. “Because the worst concept of poverty is ignorance,†she points out.
A better future is certainly forthcoming because since the Makabata School began, it has produced some 15 to 20 high school graduates who are now taking further studies, which in turn would lead them to finding better jobs and becoming productive members of society.
Unwavering faith
Today, Maruxa is 86 years old.
The petite lady may have suffered from a broken arm (caused by a bad fall) in the middle of this year, but she certainly moves quickly and tirelessly as she does her duties as teacher and administrator of Makabata School.
There’s more than a glimmer of the wide-eyed and excited teacher from Spain who arrived in Manila in 1959. Raising funds is still her main task, but Maruxa sees to it that the students are taught well; their personalities nurtured. Mediating in fights among students, counseling parents and motivating teachers are all part of her work.
No, her mission.
(Photography by FRANK HOEFSMIT and JAR CONCENGCO | Makeup by MYR LIM of Make-Up Designory | Taken from PeopleAsia’s December 2011 – January 2012 issue)Â
