BULUAN, Maguindanao — Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Monday expressed pride and elation for a provincial government scholar who was among the 2017 Bar exams passers.
Faiza Gladys Karon-Tejero’s success in passing the bar exams was an indication that the government’s scholarship program has “paid off,” Gov. Mangudadatu said.
Karon-Tejero, 28, was a scholar of the Maguindanao Program on Education Assistance and Community Empowerment (MagPEACE) that Magudadatu launched a decade ago.
Mangudadatu said he was elated after receiving a text message from Karon-Tejero, telling him: “Praise the Lord. Governor, may lawyer na po kayo (You now have a lawyer).”
MagPEACE is a program aimed at helping Maguindanao’s poor but deserving students to have access to education and serve their province-mates after finishing college.
“Thank you very much for your help,” Karon-Tejero said in another message. She went out of her way to meet Mangudadatu in Davao City over the weekend to personally convey her gratitude.
She urged fellow Moro students to take education seriously as this is one of the means that will bring them out of the bondage of poverty.
Karon-Tejero graduated Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Davao University as one of MagPEACE grantees. The program has more than 1,000 scholars, Mangudadatu said.
Aside from Karon-Tejero, Bai Apiyah Haron of Maguindanao also graduated medicine at Ateneo de Davao. She too is MagPEACE grantee and vowed to serve her province-mates once she passes the medicine board examination.
Mangudadatu said the Karon-Tejero’s success should serve as inspiration for the province’s youths to “prefer education than resort to violence.”
He added: “I believe education will bring out Maguindanao from poverty and violence and I urge all my people to pursue education and keep the fire burning.” (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
