Labor of love: Kibungan teacher conquers the mountain of trials

Sheltered in the thick layers of Cordillera mountains, where touching the clouds is never a figment of imagination, one teacher serves the true purpose of his noble profession.

- By RAMON RAFAEL BONILLA

Up in a rustic town northwest of the province of Benguet, Martes Calasan has an intense desire of helping young writers become the beacons of hope and the truth-tellers of the future, with nothing dividing him and his burning passion from discovering potentials and reaching the sky full of dreams.

Calasan was born in a small barrio in Kibungan and has since lived his years in the highlands. His father died when he was five and could barely understand the things happening around. His mother, meanwhile, works as a helper at a garden in La Trinidad, a two to three hours commute from their house.

"I was shy because my schoolmates were well-provided," admitted Calasan, now 44 years old. "I stayed with my lola (grandmother) because my mother will just be coming home during Christmas break or when she joined my school programs."