City of San Fernando, Pampanga—In celebration of the National Teachers Month and the World Teachers Day on October 5, the Department of Education Regional Office III shall hold the Awards Ceremony of the 2nd Regional Search for Outstanding Teaching and Non-Teaching Personnel on October 18 at the Laus Group Event Center.

The 10 Outstanding DepEd Teaching Personnel in Region III are Raquel Moana Abolencia (Cabanatuan City), Mary Ann Angeles (Zambales), Gerard Bada (Zambales), Alma Bautista (Mabalacat City), Ruby Empania (Nueva Ecija), Maria Lucille Gabriel (Bulacan), Melandro Pascual (Malolos City), Allan David Valdez (Cabanatuan City), Raymond Villafane (Bulacan), and Johnny Viray (Pampanga).

Meanwhile, the Outstanding DepEd Non-Teaching Personnel are Christine Atienza (Malolos City), Raquel Climaco (Bulacan), Maura dela Torre (Bulacan), Ramon Garcia (Angeles City), Pilar Ignacio (Bataan), Josefina Naguit (Bataan), Josephine Pineda (Pampanga), Pepito Sembrano (Balanga City), and Marietta Silva (Balanga City).

According to Malcolm Garma, OIC-Regional Director of DepEd Region III, recognizing and giving awards to teachers who have exemplary achievements, commitment, and passion is one way to uplift the welfare of public school teachers. At the same time, recognizing the outstanding performances of non-teaching personnel in schools and in the various division offices of DepEd in Central Luzon is also an effort to ensure quality service that will also benefit the teachers.

“In turn, we can serve our teachers better in the hope that they will also teach better, thus making our schools better,” Garma added.

The awardees were selected after the preliminary round of the search process which includes paper screening and validation by the Preliminary Screening and Selection Committee composed of Regional Division Chiefs and Education Program Supervisors and the final round of the search process composed of the interview for the two categories as well as demonstration teaching for the teacher category conducted by an external board of judges composed of representatives from the higher education institutions and civil society organizations/non-government organizations.

The external board of judges is composed by its Chair, Dr. Elvira Balinas, Dean of the College of Education (Angeles University Foundation), and its members Dr. Dexter Balajadia, Dean of the College of Education (University of the Assumption), Dr. Jessica Calma, Principal (Dominican School of Mexico, Inc.) and Clarita Magtoto, President and CEO of the Inocencio Magtoto Memorial Foundation.