Look Out for the Lookouts

JOBERT MENDOZA, JELLY FAJARDO

Safety is a human need. As such, safety measures are part of our daily lives: wearing helmets when riding a motorcycle, paying attention to the traffic lights, reading food’s expiry date and more. For the young ones geared to learn, the guides prepared to educate, the staff ready to serve, the people intending to visit, they must pass through DWCC’s pillars of safety or as they are most known everyday: “Lady Guard” and “Manong/Kuya Guard”.

HEP! HEP! HEP! STOP

“Nasaan ang ID?”

“Bakit di ka naka-uniform?”

Familiar questions that can be heard when reaching the turnstile are answered by students through various alibi or stories. It’s like a kid explaining to their parents why they should still let them in the house even if it’s past curfew. This example demonstrates how they function as our family figure because of the everyday reminders we also receive at home. It also demonstrates how our security understands the need of determining what claims should be accepted and which should not. From the outside looking in, they do have families –which demonstrates how they teach their children fundamental norms and reminders.

SAcriFicE

Family, student’s safety, and their own health are all equally important to them. It is the duty of gate guards to protect an establishment’s security by barring admission to unauthorized individuals and contraband. They desire for us to understand that they have put their life at risk in order to keep us safe.

For the sake of making sure that everyone is safe and sound, they will occasionally even run or react as quickly as they can when something happens. At night, they wait for everyone to leave the campus while roaming around to ensure that all power plugs, switches, and other electrically linked items are off to prevent any calamity. They long for us to realize that they have placed their lives in the forefront to ensure that we are safe.

They even assist visitors to make sure that they will not be lost in the compound. It is their unwavering dedication and commitment to the institution that made them choose to stay. It is in their blood and heart to consistently foster a safer environment with the determination and courage they possess. From staying up to 24 hours to secure the premises and safety of everyone, providing proactive measures, dealing with unruly behavior of students to keeping watch of potential threats and danger, their job is no easy feat but these do not stop them from committing their service to the institution. After all, they are the unsung heroes of DWCC.

RESpecT

Just because they are the first barriers when going to DWCC does not mean a reckless break-and-enter should be considered part of the plan. They are human too. Behind the image of the tough watchguard lies a person just doing their job. It mostly entails managing human resources, which is particularly demanding because employees deal with thousands of different people every day. Weeding out the bad from the good never was simple.

Spending all day and night sitting or standing at the gate worried about the safety and security of the kids is not only the weight they carry everyday. They make ends meet. They work with what they have. They feel the stress, the fatigue, the weakness but they stand up to show they are strong and dependable so that Divinistas have nothing to fret. So, before you pass the gate and begrudgingly present your school ID because you couldn’t wait to just get over this first step, stop and reconsider. One simple greeting to them is equivalent to plus one happiness to their hearts. Respect instills a favorable sense of esteem. The recipient feels empowered and proud. They are honored, as is the work they do.

Without their presence, our safety and security would be compromised. Their absence in the institution could cause us to be vulnerable to threats and harm which are beyond our control. Hence, it is important to acknowledge their invaluable work as a vital element to the overall function of the institution. In appreciation for their efforts, sleepless nights, and commitment to keeping us secure, they deserve the highest respect we can muster. The DWCC school guards are our unsung heroes at our gates and across the campus. Because they are frequently treated equally and accepted wholeheartedly in DWCC just like any other Divinista. The institution compensates them for their service and dedication by offering gifts, like rice every Christmas holiday. Other than that, they are also part of selected institutional events with faculties and other employees, e.g. the Christmas Party. Security personnel who had been working for at least five (5) consecutive years at DWCC and practicing Catholics are given a non-merit scholarship slot for their child who wishes to study in the campus. More than the tangible and monetary rewards, DWCC always makes sure they are fostered with Christian and positive value systems that cultivate their continuous service to the institution.

It is with utmost respect and gratitude to these exceptional personnels that continuously provide their duty in keeping a safer and secured environment that a learning and safe space for the entire institution is created. Their immeasurable role and for going beyond their duties instill a sense of safety and positive learning environment to the students. So