03/10/2025
๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐ | ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป๐ด
A polo-clad figure graces the stage and picks up a microphone. Itโs not just anyone, thoughโitโs the one we all know and love, the one whoโs been up on that platform for years to give out speeches and awards, whose name is inscribed on almost every single official school document, and the one who once stood on that very stage celebrating his birthday with his nerdiness for Spiderman. Itโs Philippine Science High School - SOCCSKSARGEN Region Campusโs (PSHS-SRC) very own campus director, Sir Edman H. Gallamaso, and heโs here to deliver his swan songโthe very last melody sung by a swan before it leaves us.
Sir Edman H. Gallamaso has carried the title of Campus Director for the institution since 2023, and is now resigning to serve the same position elsewhere at Philippine Science High School - Zamboanga Peninsula Region Campus. A familiar, friendly face who beams smiles with every student he encounters, Sir Gallamaso, or Sir Ed as he is known to all, has been a pillar of the community long before he assumed the prestigious position. He began as a simple SSTII writing physics equations on whiteboards and gradually ascended to a status where he could more actively implement actions that fit his vision not only as a science teacher, but as a science lover himself.
Heโs never forgotten the shoes from where he once stood, either. In fact, his deeply-sown roots are what drive him forward and continue to guide him as he traverses the murky waters of administration. Where one expects a stern, austere figurehead, Sir Ed proves just the opposite image with his open demeanor and humility that stems from his own reflection of the very students he looks at as he looks down at the entire PSHS-SRC community from the elevation of the stage. He was once an eager learner just like them, and this he has never failed to remember as he works to make their Pisay experience enjoyable.
Hailing from a family of farmers with 6 children, from Lanao del Norte, Sir Ed grew up with a simple rural background before earning a Physics degree from MSU-IIT and a Masterโs degree in Education from La Salle University, Ozamis City to his name. Although never possessing a desire for teaching at first, an inner retrospective led to the personal breakthrough that teaching was his calling. โAfter graduating in college, I never thought I would be really into teaching, but now, afterโyou know, you get older, you try to be more reflectiveโtried to reflect on my childhood and then I realized that even as early as high school I was already teaching small kids during Flores de Mayo and Catechism.โ From there, he worked as a teacher at UP Mindanao from 2002 to 2004, then at the Philippine Science High School - Central Mindanao Campus from 2004 to 2013, before settling at PSHS-SRC, where he has remained anchored since 2013 until now.
Now, as he peels the pages of his richly colored past towards the beginning of a blank new chapter, Sir Ed reflects on his short-lived term as campus director, and his ideal for the coming years of his life.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ?
โMoving forward, of course, itโs really my family. Even though I'm away from my family, as much as possible I want to make time with them. We have very limited time in the world and at the end of the day itโs God and family, and these are the things that matter to me most. But of course I need to grow professionally so I need to go to some places to hone my skills and know how much I can do for the students. Professionally, what really drives me to move forward are the studentsโthe young faces, the enthusiasm, and of course, most especially the potential of the youthโฆitโs the only way I think I can contribute to nation building.โ
๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด-๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ก (๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป). ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ?
"I think Iโm too far from what I have envisioned to be achieved within the six-year periodโฆthe six year plan I have is like a laboratory experiment. So in the first two years we tried to calibrate, set up the materialsโฆand then in the second two years, supposedly this is where the reactions would take place. So itโs one of my regrets, really: I tried to spark in the middle of my termโฆthe reactions that would really catapult us to where we should be at the end of six years, but itโs just so sad that I have to leave. But I hope that these visions would still be continued in the next years for the incoming directors.โ
๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ (๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ, ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐)?
โFor curricular, we are now implementing the enhanced curriculum, starting grades 7 and 8, and I am proud that I took a very active role in developing the curriculum and even up to this time we are trying to do a lot of things to improve even and being more efficient in the changes we are making in the new curriculum. For administrative, thatโs where I think Iโm proudโthat we were able to initiate a lot of improvements in our processesโfrom procurement to supply, and most especially to human resource. And then for community, Iโm very proud of the students. A lot of the students go beyond the curricular requirements to reach out to the communityโฆfor our faculty and staff, we do a lot of outreach.โ
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฒ๐?
โReally, my family. Me and my wife have realized that we are not getting any younger and we literally have zero relatives here, so in case of emergencies and with the nature of my job nowโI travel a lot, and I leave my wife behind, aloneโฆat least, when we are back there, hindi naman talagang home province namin, just a few hours from my hometown, and her hometown as wellโฆweโre trying to reconnect with our roots.โ
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ-๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐?
โFor the students siguro, I want them to always remember na they have to have fun in school. Although marami tayong goals to be excellent and achieve a lot, but I hope the students will always remember na, youthhood, once lang โto. It will pass in your life once, so never miss to enjoy it. Yun talaga, have fun while learning in school. And even for the faculty and staff, prioritize wellness.โ
As Sir prepares to take flight back to his roots, he once again likens himself to a swan delivering its final serenade. Like the swan, he never forgets to return to where he came from. Despite the harsh winter months that send him to uncharted lands, he never fails to come back home to his native waters. Physically and mentally, his memory of his childhood and humble beginnings is as fresh and vivid as ever, and he never forgets the ground from where he roseโfrom his rural hometown, or his science-loving nature. No matter how long the winter is, he migrates back when he knows it is time. And amid the gravity of the nature of his work, he prioritizes the person from whom he grew to be. PSHS-SRC knows and sees his authenticity, and it dulls momentarily as his sunshine parts with it. Where one might expect a severe leader, Sir Ed was there to defy the stereotypes and raise a warm environment for the scholars to thrive in, and this is one shelter they wonโt be forgetting any time soon.
To the place he has called home for the past ten years, he has the following words of advice to give to every single one of the scholars it houses: โHave fun.โ
On the day of the swanโs final song, Sir Ed looked out at the onlooking crowd of PSHS-SRC scholars and personnel, seeing all the souls he had touched. Around him were the things that defined his years on campusโhis students, his fellow teachers, and traces of his endearing Spiderman memorabilia. In their smiles, in the chorus of scholars singing โSalamatโ to him during the tribute, in the roar of cheers as he gave his thanks and took his final bow, he found the reflection of every moment, every effort, and every quiet triumph that marked the lasting imprint of his leadership.
It was a beautiful close to a decade-long melody, a fitting finale for a man whose leadership resonated not in grand gestures but in sincerity. The swanโs life in PSHS-SRC was beautiful, evidenced by its song thatโs been carried throughout laughter in classrooms, in greetings of warmth in the hallways, and by a community built on truth, integrity, and service. His legacy hums softly in the background of everyday Pisay life, a gentle voice reminding the scholars to do their work with love, just as he once had on campus.
Though the swan now takes flight toward something new, its song remains. For PSHS-SRC, the melody may have reached its final note, but its echo will never truly fade.
โ๏ธ Alisha Raniyah B. Mastura and Eleina Ysabella B. Laguerder
๐ธ Yeshua Alexandra V. Palencia, Jeremy Aaron J. Cruz
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From all of us at The Twelfth Quill, thank you, Sir Ed, for being more than just our Campus Directorโyouโve been a mentor, a supporter, and a constant source of warmth in the halls of PSHS-SRC. Thank you as well for supporting this student publication, for giving us the space to ink our truths and amplify the voices of the youth. Your presence has shaped our community in ways weโll carry with us, and though you take flight to new horizons, know that your story will always be part of ours.
