Another Foundation University pride, Febby Marton Rule, has made it to the spotlight in the regional search for the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, held April 28 to May 2 in Cebu City.
As a fresh graduate of BSBA — Management Accounting, Rule focused his advocacy on “community development through financial literacy training” wherein local communities, especially those in remote rural areas, are educated and trained on the practical ways to acquire livelihood.
“Actually, we made a one-year feasibility study for this project in 2013, and we started visiting the baranggay of Malaunay in Valencia and the barangay of Balili in Sibulan in May 2014. Our aim was to identify the largest reserve areas of the community, and help facilitate their local associations, like how they should start, the responsibilities, and also identify livelihood projects for their community,” Rule said.
He added that their next target plan would be to open a bakery in another barangay, and bring in new students to continue on the seminars.
So far, they have conducted seminars among people who mostly come from the mountainous parts of Balili and Malaunay.
The latter now owns an eggplant and tomato production–which has had three harvests–while Balili has an eatery and sari-sari store along the highway, and is waiting for a permit to operate.
Rule, who had been rooting for a job after he graduated in March this year, said it was not his intention to join the TOSP search if not for the encouragement of his college Dean Dr. Charlotte Carino.
Now that he is on the road to social responsibility, Rule said he somehow appreciates his obligation, knowing that he is able to help other people.
“I am enjoying it because, first, I love traveling and I want to go to places like the hinterlands. Second, this project has made me realize that I am so blessed because I can have everything I want here, while there are people out there who cannot even go to school,” Rule said.
He added that in Balili, for instance, there was only one person in the whole community who was able to enroll and even finish college, and this person happened to be his classmate who graduated with him at Foundation.
“I am personally touched by her story. Also when we had our seminar in Balili, we could really see the interest of the people to learn about the things we taught them. They have an association, a president, but they do not really know what to do or how to make it work,” he said.
Rule is set to compete with 120 other finalists nationwide for the national level by June this year.
From the 120 candidates, 30 will be selected, before concluding the final Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines.
Two years ago, Von Jovi Biala, an Architecture graduate of Foundation University, landed in the Top 10 during the national search for TOSP. (Angela Gabrielle Bacang)
