InsiderPH features the inspiring stories of Metrobank Foundation’s awardees as Outstanding Filipino for 2024 — teachers, soldiers and police officers who are making significant contributions to nation building.
For generations, education remained an elusive dream for these indigenous seafarers. Yet, in Fabella, they found a steadfast advocate determined to rewrite their survival story.
With over a quarter-century dedicated to education, Fabella’s journey began in a Jesuit school before she transitioned to the Department of Education. A pivotal turning point arrived 11 years ago when she immersed herself in the lives of the Sama-Bajau. This indigenous group, often relegated to the margins of society, faced a daunting reality: many children traded classrooms for the streets, resorting to begging or peddling goods to survive.
Recognizing a desperate need, Fabella launched Project B.E.A.R. (Bajau Educational Activities and Recreation). This innovative program aimed to not only boost enrollment and academic performance but also to safeguard the rich tapestry of Sama-Bajau culture.
Through music, dance, and sports, Project B.E.A.R. transformed classrooms into vibrant hubs of learning and growth. In just seven years, enrollment surged from a mere 27 to an impressive 102 students, a testament to the program’s impact.
Language posed a significant challenge for Fabella. Zamboanga City mandated educational materials in Chavacano, a tongue foreign to her students. Undeterred, Fabella developed culturally relevant lesson plans and modules in the Sama-Bajau language, ensuring education was both accessible and meaningful.
To further enhance academic performance, Fabella launched the Pantawid Tutorial Reading Program, enlisting parents as tutors. Over four years, 111 struggling readers, including 27 Sama-Bajau students, benefited from daily tutoring sessions. This initiative not only improved reading skills but also strengthened school-parent ties and community bonds.
The data is undeniable: enrollment rates have soared since 2019, and an impressive five-year zero-dropout rate underscores the program’s success. No child indeed has been left behind, even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a direct result of Fabella’s holistic approach, which combined academic rigor with cultural preservation. By infusing the curriculum with motivational elements and extracurricular activities, she created a learning environment that resonated with the Sama-Bajau’s spirit.
Fabella’s commitment extended far beyond academics. She conducted a comprehensive household survey in the town of Maasin, identifying 94 families, primarily reliant on fishing, vending, or diving, with a stark 16 percent dependent on begging.
Realizing this woe, she forged partnerships with her alma mater, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, corporations, and non-profit organizations to sustain and expand Project B.E.A.R. Her adeptness in resource mobilization and fundraising showcased her leadership.
Fabella’s work with the Sama-Bajau community stands as a testament to the power of education to transform lives. Where once despair and limited opportunities held sway among the Sama-Bajau, this marginalized group has, under her guidance, embraced education as a pathway toward a brighter future.
Fabella’s legacy lives on in an entire community breaking free from the chains of circumstance and becoming not just survivors, but thriving contributors to society.
Fabella is a candidate of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Development Management from Ateneo de Zamboanga University, a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education (2008) from the same university, and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (1994) from Western Mindanao State University. — Metrobank Foundation
