God’s still works in miracles: A story behind the TESDA’s IMPACT EVALUATION 2012

It was November 29, 2012, Thursday, the day TESDA South Cotabato set as the deadline of the Impact Evaluation of 2012. ACT is assigned to interview Miss Dimar Catigay, who graduated last year, 2011, in the qualification Computer Programming NC IV.

Impact Evaluation is an annual survey of the TESDA Central Office to keep tract with the graduates of the previous year.

Dimar Catigay, while working at DENR XII, Koronadal City.

Other responsibilities pushed me to lose track of time and it’s already Thursday, the deadline. I woke up early and asked my husband to accompany me to the place where Dimar will be available for interview. It was the first time where I can reach that place, Isulan, and the first time I could visit their home. I hurried to the Business Office to ask the treasurer for the fare; however, I waited until it was past 10:00 o’clock that I have gotten the fare. Due to black out, we were not able to really see the current location of Dimar in the internet. But I still demanded to go, knowing that it was the deadline.

We rode for Tupi and towards Koronadal City, an hour trip. I used to be confident of a trip if I have money and cellphone with load plus I have my husband with me.

But while on the bus, I really prayed and even said to my husband, “I hope God will send people I have known and who really know me to guide us towards the Catigay’s residence.”

I also kept on texting, Annalou, my office secretary to give me the complete address of the Catigay’s but she has no load to text back. We arrived at the Yellow Bus Line (YBL) terminal in Koronadal City at exactly 11:00 o’clock in the morning still too far to arrive at Isulan. Since we don’t have the complete address, we look for an internet café to search for the address through Facebook. We hike from the terminal towards the direction of the mall, hoping that along the road we can see a net café. Until we reached KCC mall without seeing a café. It was walking under the heat of the sun for half a kilometer. There, we have entered a café, just near the mall. We have known the Catigay’s address. But since it’s already late, my husband apprehended that we will not go anymore, but I’m determined to do so. We rode back to YBL terminal and rode for Tacurong City, still hoping that God would provide us somebody we know. From Tacurong City the bus went to Isulan, ‘twas a privilege not to transfer another bus. When the bus stopped at the new terminal of  Isulan, we immediately walked down from the bus, however we noticed that nobody from the bus moved to go down, so we ask the man in uniform; “Sir, where actually will this bus last stop?” He answered, “In the market ma’am.” So hurriedly we climbed up back to the bus looking down because they have laughed at us. “Oh, why you climb up back?”, the driver asked. We just smiled in shame. So the bus went through until we reach the round ball and my husband recalled that he has been there once but could no longer recognize specific places. When he saw the group of jeepneys parking beside the road, we walked down with other passengers not knowing why and what prompt us to do so. While we were walking beside the road, I asked him, “why we dropped here?”. “Because of these jeepneys”, he answered. “Maybe we can find here a jeep that is signed new pangasinan”, he added and we laughed together of uncertainty. Unfortunately, there were none. So, he just said that we would better eat our lunch. Still walking, he noticed a young man looking at me. While I’m chatting to him, I happened to take a glance with the young woman with the young man that he was, and ask “May I know you?” She smiled and said “Oh, Ma’am Reg.” Then I remembered she is my previous student’s sister and I really knew she know Dimar’s residence because her sister mentioned it before. My heart was at ease while mentioning to her why we were there. Without wasting other time, she asked her brother, to accompany us towards the motorcycle terminal, the thing that made us exceedingly glad, though we forgot about the lunch. We bade thanks to them happily riding the hot and dusty roads towards New Pangasinan, Isulan. We finished the survey and submitted it to the TESDA Office that day.

I contemplated at the end of the day and realized that God is always in control of the situation. We may have come so early or so late that we might have not able to meet those people. I realized that there is no reason to be angry at any situation including walking that very hot and dusty city road and the time of waiting for fare and text replies and the light to come back, because it’s all the test of patience and faith that God would really be there at the end of the journey. The lesson: don’t murmur, don’t be angry, and never blame others for the situation. Just trust in God, He knows what He is doing for you.