LEARNING is not confined within the four walls of the classroom, and for Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ (PUP) Physics student Freedom Mendiola dela Cruz, the street is his classroom.
It was early afternoon of March 23, 2020 when my car stopped due to heavy traffic in front of Freedom’s mobile stall along Evacom Road in Parañaque City. He was selling facemasks, face shields, umbrellas, ballpens and the like.
I noticed that he seemed to be reading something from his cellphone then writing on his yellow pad paper.
To satisfy my curiosity, I took some shots before I called him to buy face shields and I asked some questions.
I learned that Freedom is a second year Physics student at PUP and he was attending to his online classes, among others, when I saw him.
I initially thought he wanted to be a scientist when I posted the photo later that afternoon.
Social media can be very influential. Freedom’s photo went viral with hundreds of shares, likes and comments and was even featured in major media outfits.
When I visited Freedom again two days later, he told me he was overwhelmed by the social media attention due to my photo.
He said Physics was not his original choice as a pre-medical course in PUP; he was not able to get available slots for Biology, Chemistry or Psychology.
He plans to proceed to medical school after graduation, preferably at the University of the Philippines (Manila) with specialization on children since he was often brought to the hospital during his younger years as a sickly child.
Although his education is free as an iskolar ng bayan, his family allots a substantial part of its income to cover additional costs.
Before the pandemic, Freedom used to go to school and stay in a dorm, with monthly expenses reaching P1,800 (for dormitory rental, water and electricity), while his daily allowance for food and transportation is P200.
He was already helping his parents in their mobile stall during his elementary years. He has two sisters Katrina (18) and Chloe (16).
He starts selling from 8 a.m. until around 7:30 p.m. while his parents transfer on foot from one place to another around Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Las Piñas carrying with them big plastic bags containing merchandise.
Sadly, Freedom lamented, COVID-19 caused their estimated average daily gross income to drop from P3,500 to P1,500.
They buy the faceshields from Baclaran at three pieces per P10 and sell them at P10 per piece.
Then I asked why his name is “Freedom”.
I was right. His father Jerry was a former activist engineering student from National University who said in a TV interview that his son’s name means “malaya sa paghihirap, sa pighati, sa (ma)sama, sa mundong malupit.”
Freedom clarified that he was self-studying online not only for his Physics classes at the time I took the photo.
Although he wanted to be a doctor, he showed me the yellow paper where he was also writing down notes on non-science-related subjects for self-growth, including terms lifted from legal websites like law, jurisprudence, constitution, stare decisis, precedent, legal positivism and statute of limitation.
Freedom represents many other young Filipinos thirsty for knowledge and wishing to achieve something in the field of science despite their economic status.
I only encountered Physics as a subject during high school; not an easy subject for me. And now here is Freedom who is taking it as a full blown course.
Physics is the study of the mathematical beauty of the universe at scales ranging from subatomic to cosmological, from studying stars far beyond earth, to explaining the shape of a water droplet.
The viral photograph is a manifestation of how education has changed dramatically due to COVID-19. The pandemic has shattered the confines of a “closed classroom” concept.
Freedom stressed that going to school and learning online are different because one can easily learn skills in a classroom unlike in e-learning where teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.
He receives a weekly load of P100 from his organization Physics Society to cover the internet expenses.
What is more difficult for Freedom in giving full attention to his lessons is the fact that there are external distractions like the noise and crowd (his stall is along a busy main road).
Poverty is the greatest obstacle to one’s education but it may also be treated as a positive challenge. The greatest lessons are not learned in the classroom but through living from day to day, and one doesn’t get told about them, one experiences them.
In the event Freedom successfully enters the medical profession, I hope he will remain true to his character and convictions and be guided by the best of human virtues such as altruism, compassion and the desire to alleviate human suffering.
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“Kule” is the moniker of the Philippine Collegian, the official student publication of UP Diliman.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786./PN
