Antique teacher brings school closer to IP students

ILOILO CITY – As he walked toward the Rizal Ceremonial Hall at Malacañang Palace, each footfall seemed to echo the rivers he had crossed, the steep mountain trails he had climbed, and the long roads he had walked as a teacher to reach children in far-flung barangays.

Then came his name.

“Daryl B. Arguelles, School Principal 2, Bagtasan Elementary School, Department of Education Antique, for his dedication in bringing educational opportunities to the farthest barangays in Bugasong, Antique.”

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The words marked the moment he became a Dangal ng Bayan awardee of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on September 18, 2024, carrying national recognition for the very journey his feet had known so well. The award honors government workers whose extraordinary acts of public service are matched by consistent ethical conduct. 

The memories gave way to the moment. The medal was resting on his neck, the trophy in his hands, and the journey that once demanded his every step had, for a moment, brought him to the center of it all.

Since January 28, 2023, Arguelles has served as the Public Schools District Supervisor of Bugasong and Valderrama, where his work takes him beyond school gates and into communities tucked in the mountains.

Beyond the town centers of Bugasong and Valderrama, Antique, are remote, mountainous communities located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), where distance remains a barrier to education. Bugasong lies about 43 kilometers from the provincial capital of San Jose de Buenavista, while Valderrama is about 53 km away.

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In Valderrama, home to approximately five Iraynon-Bukidnon communities considered indigenous people (IP), he saw children roaming around the plaza instead of sitting in classrooms. Some Iraynon-Bukidnon parents believed their children should help on the farm, questioning the value of schooling when they themselves had not finished their education.

For Arguelles, the problem was not simply getting children into school. It was helping families believe that education could change the course of their lives.

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Struggling learners

“They show eagerness to go to school every day. They do not get absent, and their reading and numeracy skills improved because complete elementary and high school education became accessible to them,” he said.

The problem became more troubling when Arguelles examined the records of Bakiang Primary School, a community in Valderrama. From those records, he found that only about 50 of the approximately 100 pupils could read properly, while many others struggled with basic literacy.

Looking further into the records, he found that some struggling learners came from families with close blood relationships. The situation raised concerns that extended beyond access to schooling and prompted conversations about family, health, and the importance of education.

From there, he began working with parents, encouraging them to value education and recognize their role in helping their children learn and stay in school. Teachers also integrated discussions about the health risks associated with marriage between close relatives into their lessons and raised the topic during barangay assemblies. As parents became more aware, some began advising their children against marrying close relatives.

“Value education,” he would tell them.

And he could speak from experience.

“I am a living testament to the fact that I came from a poor family living in one of the farthest barangays, but because of education, the quality of my life improved,” said Arguelles, who earned his Bachelor of Elementary Education and PhD in Philosophy, major in Educational Management, from the University of Antique.

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As a young boy, Arguelles would walk to school while living in Barangay Yapu, Bugasong, also a GIDA community.

Accessible education

His message was simple: if education had opened a different path for him, then the children in these communities deserved the same chance. But for that chance to be real, education had to be within their reach.

That meant bringing schools closer to IP communities and families living in remote areas. Arguelles worked with school heads and stakeholders to establish and expand schools in communities where distance became a barrier to children’s education.

He provided technical assistance that led to the conversion of Lublub and Tigmamale Elementary Schools in Valderrama into integrated schools, opening opportunities for high school students, out-of-school youth, and Balik-Aral learners in isolated communities. 

He also worked to convert 10 primary schools across Bugasong and Valderrama into complete elementary schools. He also supported Bugnay Elementary School in establishing an extension school in Sitio Bunga, Valderrama, which now serves Kinder to Grade III learners.

What once required hours of walking, dangerous river crossings, or leaving home for board and lodging could now be avoided with classrooms closer to where the children lived.

His presence in these communities was not limited to planning from behind a desk.Joebeth Tatoy, teacher-in-charge of Babangan Elementary School, recalled accompanying Arguelles during school monitoring visits to some of the farthest schools in Valderrama.

“He is never afraid of taking the risk to visit even the farthest schools like Culyat and Busog Elementary Schools in Valderrama district, which can be reached by crossing rivers and climbing mountains for five to six hours,” said Tatoy.

Noble intentions

 “As we journey together to these schools, I can feel his noble intentions for the deprived, depressed and underserved learners because once, he felt all of these difficulties during his elementary and secondary days wherein he needed to cross a river and walk for hours just to reach school,” Tatoy added.

But for those in the schools, his presence means more than simply making the journey. It means having a supervisor who listens, understands, and supports them once he arrives.

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For Cherry Camacho Arnaiz, a Grade 3 teacher at Paliwan Elementary School in the Bugasong District, Arguelles is more than a supervisor who monitors schools from afar.

“He is in the field, in the schools, understanding the real situation. Teachers and school heads perform better because he is supportive, not threatening,” said Arnaiz.

For Arguelles, however, building a school was never the finish line. The classrooms were matched with families who understood why their children needed to be there.

That is why he continued visiting communities, speaking with parents and reminding them that the opportunity they once had to seek was now at their doorstep. With schools now close by, he wanted families to see there was no barrier to their children’s education.

His advocacy became most personal in the story of a 17-year-old Grade 6 learner who once asked him for help learning to read because he wanted to continue to high school.

The learner had a record of frequent absences because he was working to help his family. Arguelles spoke with his parents about their child’s eagerness to study and spent extra time tutoring him alongside other struggling readers.

By the end of the school year, the learner could read independently and had gained the self-esteem to continue his studies. He eventually pursued work as a seaman, carrying with him the education he had once struggled to reach.

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Even as a supervisor, Arguelles has not let go of the learners he once taught. He stays connected by looking at their performance in school, using what he sees to provide enrichment programs for those doing well and remediation for those who continue to struggle.

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For him, being away from the classroom does not mean being away from the children. His role has changed—from teaching them directly to finding ways to support their learning from where he now stands./coa