The Adventure of the Kulong-Kulong Ride!

Thanks to this "kulong-kulong" vehicle, we may ride even in the deepest portion of the mountain in San Marcelino Zambales, Philippines, which is not accessible by most other types of vehicles.

In Tagalog, a type of tricycle used to transport merchandise is called a garong or kolong kolong , also written as kulong kulong, or cage-like. It consists of a motorcycle fastened to a sidecar with sheet metal, welded metal pipes, and welded metal bars. The sidecar often lacks seats and a roof and has a flatbed.

After the damage that COVID-19 left us, until now, particularly the impact on education, we are still unable to fully adapt to the changes in how education is provided. Some students still find it difficult to adjust to the routine now that we are back in face-to-face courses after nearly two years of homeschooling.

Absenteeism is one of the problems in our school, but there are factors we cannot blame our students. Aside from poverty, which is the root cause of everything, walking for about 2 to 3 hours from their homes to school barefooted is what burdens them in going to school.

So, as a teacher, we do our part. We go to the deepest part of the mountains to reach them and make them feel we value them more than just our learners.

We appreciate that this kulong-kulong journey allowed us to travel through the deepest part of the mountain despite the difficulty caused by the rocky, slippery roads and the need to cross certain rivers.

As it will take us hours to get there, we must set out early in the morning. We also need to prepare ourselves for the sun's intense heat, so we pack items like sunglasses, jackets, and other heat-protecting clothing, as well as some food and, perhaps most importantly, water.

One of our journey's most thrilling and dangerous moments is when we have to cross some rivers.

In addition to the rivers, we face the rock road, which we must overcome. This is challenging because we need to regulate our movements, especially when encountering larger stones. Moreover, the fact that we are going uphill makes it much more difficult.

Eventually, after a long trip, we finally met our cherished students. We discussed the consequences when they stop their school attendance throughout our conversation. But moving on, one of our students said that One of their reasons is that they don't go to school because it's too far. And it's true, and we cannot argue that their home is too distant from our school, imagining they would have to walk barefoot for almost two hours while starving.

This saddens us because considering how far they must go as their stomachs ache from starvation is heartbreaking. This is why we cannot hold them accountable if they decide to remain at home and assist their parents with daily tasks.

So we discussed a solution with their parents; we will have modular distance learning again, using self-learning modules (SLMs) in print. But they still have to go to school twice a week. But we still need to have the approval of our admin first before doing so.

On our way home, I prayed that somebody would help them and give them "kulong-kulong" they could use in going to school.

I'm so grateful for this ride since it makes it much easier for us to visit our Aeta learners in the mountain's deepest portion. That meeting our students wouldn't require us to walk so far.

This is a fantastic kulong-kulong ride, one that is filled with adventure, but it's all worthwhile!