Scholars pay tablecloths for their diploma

Bro. Davide Del Barba (center) is flanked by the lady scholars of the Gabriel Taborin College of Davao with the intricately designed tablecloths as their backdrop. These tablecloths are the token of the ladies to their schoalrship sponsors.

Education is not cheap but some lady scholars pay only tablecloth for their diploma. 

In exchange for the generosity of their virtually unknown sponsors, some graduating lady scholars of Gabriel Taborin College of Davao (GTCD), in Lasang, Davao City ingeniously did the laborious needlework of intricate designs on tablecloths as a memento of their enormous gratitude.

“This is a fruit of our labor and passion in the spirit of thanksgiving to our benevolent sponsors,” says Cyrene Molina a scholar, graduating from two-year hotel and restaurant management course.

GTCD named after the French founder Gabriel Taborin was established in 2001 as the only Catholic technical/vocational  school in the region aimed to help indigent but deserving students, has now blossomed to a tertiary institution offering Hotel and Restaurant Management as its flagship  four-year degree course. 

The school’s Executive Director Bro. Davide Del Barba said that the students’ sponsors are private institutions and individual donors mostly from abroad.

“This is our special way of saying thank you to their respective sponsors whom our lady scholars will not probably see personally,” said del Barba.  

Among the sponsors of the students include the American Women’s Club of the Philippines, the Assisi Foundation, Cuore Amico (Friendly Heart) an organization from Italy,  and private individuals mostly from Europe “who generously help the least privileged  students in our mission here,” del Barba added.

Del Barba himself is an Italian missionary of the Brothers of the Holy Family who arrived to the Philippines in 2000 and in the following year established, then a technical/vocational school, with the strong support of Archbishop of Davao Fernando R. Capalla.

These lady scholars are also called “dormitory ladies” because they avail of the dormitory service that that the school provides since 2004 solely to ladies coming from far-flung areas. Since then at least 150 students have benefited from the service.

In the dormitory, ladies have to pay minimal amount which covers for their lodging, food, security personnel, and dorm in-charge. And part of their tasks is to learn the skill of embroidery.

 “The embroidery activity of the ladies is part of their tasks as scholars of the school and as ‘dormitory ladies’ to learn new skill and earn extra income since they are paid for their labor,” said del Barba. 

To improve the quality of their work, the school tapped the voluntary services of needlework hobbyist Ms. Theresa Valdevieso from Colombia , Mariela Chacon and Gladys Miranda both from Panama who said that there are at least 16,000 kinds of stitches to learn.

Charisse Diaz of Sindaton, Panabo City said she did not just learned embroidery skill but also patience and time management.

“Time management is very important,” Diaz said. “We need time to study our lessons, make our school requirements and finish our tablecloths for one semester (five months),” she added.

According to Diaz, embroidery is no way easy job, “our back aches, eyes sore and to come up with the best and most unique design we research in the internet and books.”

 “Even if we were repeatedly punctured by the needle, we continue to work because this (work) inspires us,” added another graduating ‘dormitory lady’ Venus Amor Agad.  

Cyrene Molina stands by the tablecloth she made for five months.

  

Recently, the school put up and exhibit showcasing the ladies final work.

“We have already sent some of these to their respective sponsors and I am really happy for the positive feedback,” del Barba uttered.

Further he said that there had been request from private individuals (commonly foreigner) to buy the products but “this is particularly made for our sponsors, should they want one they must sponsor one of our scholars too,” said del Barba.

 

“With what has become of our scholars and of the school I can say that we have lived up to our motto: in prayer, work and love, you will find peace,” del Barba said.