FROM GIFT TO BETRAYAL
(An Open Letter to the Department of Education – Sorsogon City Division)
I write this letter not only as a donor but also as a father, a son, and a citizen who believes in the power of education to change lives.
In 2020, I donated a parcel of land, covered by TCT No. 083-2020000239, consisting of 2,701 square meters situated in Barangay Guinlajon, Sorsogon City. This was not an ordinary donation. It carried with it a very clear and personal intention—that the property be used solely for the actual, direct, and exclusive benefit of GUINLAJON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I envisioned classrooms rising from that land, playgrounds where children could laugh, and learning spaces where young minds could dream of a brighter future.
This was also my way of honoring the vision of my late father, Congressman Vicente Leyva Peralta, who believed deeply in providing our youth with a healthy and proper environment for learning. I wanted to continue his legacy by helping relieve overcrowded classrooms and giving our children a chance to learn with dignity.
But early this year, I visited the property and was heartbroken by what I saw. Instead of classrooms for children, the property had become the site for the Division Office of DepEd SDO Sorsogon City.
I stood there gutted, disappointed, and angered. What was meant for those who have little was turned into a building for those who already have much. This was never my intention, and it will never be.
Even more disheartening is the simultaneous construction of two Division Offices in Sorsogon—one in Cabid-an, Sorsogon City and another in Guinlajon, Sorsogon City. This duplication is not merely wasteful, while learners are left to endure overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated facilities, and a shortage of resources, public funds and efforts are diverted toward redundant offices that serve bureaucracy rather than the children they are sworn to protect
The conditions of the Deed of Donation were clear and unequivocal: the land was to be used exclusively for Guinlajon Elementary School and its educational activities. To use it otherwise is a gross violation of trust and a betrayal of the generosity that I, and many other Filipinos, extend in the hope of uplifting our children.
What saddens me most is not only the misuse of my donation, but the deep mistrust it sows.
Donations are acts of faith. They represent trust in institutions and leaders to honor the will of the giver. When that trust is broken, the loss goes beyond one piece of land—it threatens the very foundation of generosity in our schools. Future donors may hesitate. Others may withhold their help. And in the end, it is the children—the very learners DepEd is sworn to protect—who will suffer the consequences of that mistrust.
Every donation made to education carries with it a story of sacrifice and hope—whether it comes from a wealthy patron or from someone who gives despite their hardships.
If people see that their gifts are misused or diverted from their intended purpose, what assurance will remain for future generosity? Who will still have the heart to give if trust is broken?
What does it mean to be Makadiyos if the promises made for our children are broken?
What value is there in calling ourselves Makatao if the needs of learners are set aside for the comfort of administrators?
And how can we ever be truly Makabansa if we betray the very spirit of bayanihan and generosity that defines us as Filipinos?
Are the core values—Makadiyos, Makatao, Makakalikasan, and Makabansa—expected only from students? Certainly not. DepEd personnel are not exempt from these values; in fact, they must embody them even more. They are the mirror through which learners see what is right and just.
This issue is not mine alone. It speaks to something larger: THE CREDIBILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ITS OFFICIALS.
I therefore call on the DepEd SDO Sorsogon City to restore the property’s intended use for the GUINLAJON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
I appeal to the public as well: let us not allow acts of goodwill to be undermined by negligence or misplaced priorities. Our children are the rightful beneficiaries of every donation given in the name of education.
“THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF EDUCATION IS THE LEARNER, NOT ANYTHING OR ANYONE ELSE”
