IN THE 1996 COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES OF the Sumader Elementary School in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Violeta Agasino was invited as guest speaker. An overseas worker, she had earned the podium for donating a pressure pump worth P30,000 to the provincial school.

Violy, who finished a nursing course then settled for a job as a domestic helper in Hong Kong in 1990, gave the young graduates words of inspiration and hope. But what she remembers most about that day was how poor and rundown the school looked. She wished she could help repair the classrooms or do something to make the school a better place.

?But even if I saved my salary for a whole year, it wouldn?t have been enough to make a difference,? she remembers thinking.

?Twelve years ago, the idea of rebuilding the whole school in Sumader would have been as unthinkable ?as going to the moon,? said the 53-year-old overseas worker with a hearty laugh. At most, she figured she could save up to help make a few repairs.

Reaching out

Family members say Violy has always been known to go out of her way to help others. She regularly sent money home to support her family. Still single, she also helped nieces and nephews, who would run to her for their school needs.

She was determined to earn more money for her family, but the dilapidated Sumader schoolhouse stayed in her mind. It became her dream to help the school.

In Hong Kong, she took a double job ? a trusted maid in two households. Often she would eat her meals on the bus, commuting from one household to the other.

Biggest benefactor

She said her employers were kind. One of them was William F. Benter. She has worked for him for more than 15 years.

The result of the trust and confidence she gained would be more than she had ever imagined.

?Mr. Benter is known worldwide as a benefactor of various charitable causes. And so, one day, I approached him for Sumader. I asked him to consider helping out the school,? she said.

She later admitted that her plea was relentless. ?I?m really like that. If I want one thing to happen, I work very hard to get it. I?m witty, thrifty, and a fighter.?

Grand developments

In 1997, Violy got Benter to visit Sumader to see the school and assess its needs. She was optimistic that she could get him to repair a few classrooms. Was she surprised: he decided to look for an architect to design a new school.

It would take a few more years, but Violy says it was that visit that eventually led to the building of a new 10-classroom school that now sits on top of a hill, 6 kilometers away from the town proper of Batac.

Violy confided, ?I didn?t expect that he?d go for a new school. My gratefulness to God for this blessing for our town really overflowed. I feel no regrets working in Hong Kong because it was there where I met the generous and kind-hearted Mr. Benter.?

After studying the situation, Benter had decided that it was better to change the three decaying pre-fab buildings with a brand new 10-room building with seven classrooms, a guidance room, computer room, and an office for the head teacher.

The construction of the new school building started late January, 2002. All in all, Benter made a P13-million donation to Sumader school.

In addition, an elevated water tank, with a pressure pump much bigger than the one she donated in 1996, was installed. The old stage where she once stood to address the graduating children was transformed into a spacious amphitheater named after Benter.

Landscaping of the school grounds was also undertaken.

Materials salvaged from the old structures were used for the construction of a school canteen, a utility kitchen, and the renovation of the old home economics house. Other scraps went into making bleachers for a sports area.

All the classrooms were furnished with brand new blackboards, and chairs and desks for the children as well as for the teachers. There were new carpentry tools, too, for the industrial arts room. The home economics room was furnished with a dining table, sala set, refrigerator, gas range, TV and VHS player, two beds and curtains.

The library got a new encyclopedia and many other new books, maps and atlases, as well as sports and science gadgets. All classrooms were also provided with color-coded toilets for boys and girls.

The street leading to the school compound from the barangay road was also paved.

Reaping what she sowed

A Catholic chapel was also donated by Benter. It was built in a nearby lot donated by Violy?s family.

The efforts of Violy and Benter were anchored on the Adopt-A-School Act of 1998, a program of the Department of Education. It provides a mechanism for private entities to assist public schools.

Congratulating Violy, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said her good deed showcases what the private sector can do to help address the limited resources of the public educational system.

P13-million bonus

For Benter, helping Violy realize her dream was like giving a bonus to a woman he considers not only a good employee but also a friend.

?Violy is more like family to me. She is trustworthy, responsible, industrious, and imaginative. Violy?s 15 years of faithful servitude truly deserves a reward. Rebuilding her hometown school is my gift to her,? he said.