Maguindanao scholarship program produces lawyer

MagPEACE first lawyer-graduate

Faizah Gadys Karon-Tejero 

By Ali G. Macabalang

COTABATO CITY – After almost a decade of existence, the Maguindanao Program on Education Assistance and Community Empowerment (MagPEACE) has finally produced a full-fledged lawyer among its thousands of student-scholars belonging to poor families.

“Alhamdulillah (Praise the Lord). Governor, may lawyer na po kayo (you now have a lawyer). Maraming salamat po talaga sa tulong niyo (thank you very much for your help),” Faiza Gladys Karon-Tejero, 28, said in a text message to Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu over the weekend.

The governor, who founded MagPEACE some eight years ago, shared to the Manila Bulletin Tejero’s text message, describing it as a “blessed tiding” because it was the first information he got after performing Suboh (dawn) prayer on Saturday.

Tejero received her diploma in law study at the Ateneo de Davao on April 29, exactly a year ago yesterday, as one of the 6,700 scholarship grantees of the MagPEACE. She took the bar exam last November and “good news” about her passing the test reached her last Friday, she said.

While reviewing for the bar exam, Tejero said she joined the workforce of the Commission on Elections in Region XI where she is “planning some projects for Maguindanao including an outsourcing initiative with an international NGO” to reciprocate her benefits from the MagPEACE.

In time with Tejero’s graduation last year, Bai Apiyah Haron, then 26 years old, also marched as graduate of study in medicine equally subsidized by the MagPEACE.

In a Bulletin interview last year, Haron Miling, father of the future doctor, said his daughter was bracing for review to take the subsequent medical board exam.

“If my daughter makes it, God-willing, she would pursue her promise to spend voluntary services to fellow residents of Maguindanao,” Miling said.

Tejero and Harona are among more than 1,000 scholars who graduated in collegiate and post-graduate studies with full subsidies by the provincial government under MagPEACE, program officials said.

They said MagPEACE still sustains more than 6,700 scholars with a minimum stipend of P6,000 each.

Gov. Mangudadatu founded the program upon few his gubernatorial election in 2010, starting with 1,000 scholars to address high illiteracy rate and massively produce professionals, provincial administrator Abdulrahman Asim said.

Groups of educators in Japan and the United Kingdom awarded MagPEACE founder Mangudadatu with plaques of recognition in 2016 and 2017, respectively, Asim said.

Asim said Mangudadatu has accepted an invitation from the United Federation of Fil-Am Educators, Inc. (UNIFIED) for him to receive another citation on May 26-27 in Washington DC for the MagPEACE institutionalization. (Ali G. Macabalang)