Feisty Conquest:

IN ENGAGING before the true nature of the world, where people aren’t as nice as they seem, where they will judge you at face value—Emily Quintos, who is the education program supervisor (EPS) of Araling Panlipunan in the Department of Education (DepED) in Cavite, believes that students who will eventually be adults should know how to handle these types of situations. After all, in the newly revised MATATAG curriculum, subjects like Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) will be revived in an effort to improve the characters of students. Now, as she connects this to her life, Emily notes the three sturdy qualities she exhibited as she prevailed against hardships.

Triumph in Parents

In true Filipino passion, she wants students to be fond of their parents and cherish the moments they are sharing with them, because life is finite and not everything is assured in this life after all. She shared that while we may be responsible for bearing the responsibility in steering the way life will continue, everyone’s parents still deserve the kudos in being the foundation which molds the personalities and characters people will live by. As with this, she ends one of her groundwork in being resilient by being thankful for their parental figure, because Emily believes that for every successful Filipino who goes through rough patches in life, there are two loving maternities behind them, enabling them to have triumph in parents.

“Ang una ko talagang masasabi ay maging mapagpasalamat kayo sa mga magulang ninyo, dahil ‘yan ang philosophy ko, na if you want to succeed, you must first learn to love your parents first,” Quintos stated as she alluded to the indelible importance her parents have made in her life by raising her up to the woman she is, thus allowing her to subsequently become the now EPS of Araling Panlipunan.

[The first thing that I can say is you all need to be thankful to your farents, for that is my philosophy, wherein if you want to succeed, you must first learn to love your parents first.]

Victory in God

Aside from being thankful to her physically present parents, she now turns to give her praise to her divine and spiritual beliefs by entrusting her success before difficulties to God. From this, she explains that as a clear devotee of the catholic faith, she believes that everything happens for a reason which pertains to the sovereignty of a divine figure like God who has better plans for people like Emily despite them having doubts to the grand scheme of things in the long run due to the unexpected hardships. That is why aside from having attributed her wins in life to her parents and herself—she doesn’t want others to forget that now in the MATATAG curriculum where GMRC and values are being focused, Emily wants others to entrust everything and let Juan reap his victories in God.

“Ang pangalawa kong kalasag ko sa pagiging matatag sa harap ng mga paghihirap at pagsubok sa aking buhay ay ang pagbibigay pugay at papuri sa Diyos. Dapat una talaga sa lahat ang Diyos,” the official stated while she accentuated the importance of believing and attributing your triumphs in the divine figure because she notes that she can do all things through her beliefs.

[My second armor in being resilient in the face of difficulties at hardships in my life is giving credits and praise to the Lord. The Lord should be at first during all times.]

Success in Positivity

Lastly, she notes that students should also be optimistic at all times despite having the urge to fire back at those who may do no good to us. By having a positive outlook in life, it will enable students to see through things on a lighter perspective as being outraged will only do no good, because despite hardships, being mad at the things you cannot control will not serve you anything. But by being optimistic and seeing the good in the situations that you may face, it will just enable you to act upon the things you can manage which will eventually land you success in positivity.

“Hindi masamang magalit ka… But [at] the end of the day, you’ll realize it’s wrong—it’s all wrong where maiisip mong magiging useless lang din siya in the end at magsisisi ka rin,” Emily denoted that while having those who may do harm to you, two wrongs will not make a right—it will just only create a cycle of hatred and putrid thoughts amidst the hardships.

[It is not inherently bad to be angry… But at the end of the day, you’ll realize it’s wrong—it’s all wrong where you will eventually think it is useless in the end and you will come to regret your decisions.]

  With this, she notes that having all of the outlooks in life have made her life seemingly better by jumping past the hurdles she had encountered during her extensive stint in being a teacher and eventually in being the Araling Panlipunan EPS. Now, with GMRC and values resurging in its revival, she wants students in their feisty conquest of aging that they will remember and eventually adapt Emily’s three sturdy qualities, and maybe they too will prevail in the light of life’s various hardships

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