San Jose, General Santos City, is home to the Blaan and T’boli indigenous communities of the Philippines. It is also home to William Moraca, Principal of Datal Salvan Elementary School, who has recently been recognised with an international award for his work.
Mr. Moraca is being recognised by Thailand Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for his efforts in generating benefits to education and human development. Mr. Moraca is one of 11 teachers in the Asean region whom have been honoured with the Princess Maha Chakri Award (PMCA), this past month.
You may ask, how is it that Principal Moraca won international recognition for his work?
However, Mr. Moraca is not only a principal, he is also an inventor. Mr. Moraca has created various inventions, including a portable windmill, adapted solar panels, and a magnetic field-run water system.
To operate the magnetic field-run water system, Mr. Moraca used the magnetic field force, and the water went up at the rate of 1.2 liters per second the first time he used gadget. “You have to walk several kilometers to fetch water only, so I invited the water here– from river down to the community and, eventually, the schools.” Mr. Moraca said.
Addressing this need for potable water, through creative ingenuity, exemplifies the opportunity of technology to aid developing areas.
As for his solar panels, Mr. Moraca recognised a need to convert the panels for shorter charging time. He converted the panels to charge in a shorter amount of time. This helped provide lighting to the entire school of Datal Salvan and its surrounding community.
In addition to these innovations, Mr. Moraca has used his ingenuity to convert low cost resources for participative teaching materials in the areas of Math, Science, and Social Studies. Within the community of Sition Datal Salvan, Mr. Moraca has created an ecotourism area to spur interest in the area.
Since 2011, these inventions have helped provide around-the-clock energy and sanitary water to the residents of Datal Salvan amd Klolang. Mr. Moraca encourages other teachers to be inspired by his example and take up opportunities to make effective change in their communities.
