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"Without love in a dream it will never come true." - Robert Hunter
Hello! My name is Raymond Lacaba. My wife Sara and I are public school teachers in the State of California. We are trying to keep a seventy-three old non-profit school serving the needs of often impoverished and under served children in the Philippines alive. It's called Calatagan Institute. It is a school that has done so much good, for so many, and for so long. Please help us keep the positive flow started by General Douglas McArthur's mother going.
A Simple Act of Kindness: How General Douglas McArthur's random act of kindness in 1935 touched the lives of so many generations.
General Douglas MacArthur's mother opens the door of opportunity for a poor but very hard working teenager
The story starts with my grandfather, Eugenio Lacaba, who was hired by the general to take care of his laundry for barely a month in the 1930's. To make a long story short, the general took his mother, Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur, to the Philippines with him in 1935, when he retired from the US Army to build the Philippine Army prior to the outbreak of WWII. She passed away within two months of her arrival at the age of eighty-two. In that very short amount of time, she met my grandfather and completely changed his life and the lives of many generations to come.
Mary MacArthur saw something in my grandfather that impressed her enough (he once repaired a torn gown she had thrown away and surprised her with it), that she took it upon herself to make sure this young man found employment where his drive and talents could give him a better chance to get ahead in life. She found him a job in construction for the US military. Mary passed away very soon after.
My grandfather started as a common laborer and worked his way up the ladder of success very quickly. He eventually supervised the construction of the wall surrounding the American embassy in Manila, after World War II. By the 1960's, he was doing very well and had managed to buy pieces of real estate and started his own businesses. Mrs. MacArthur was exactly right about him.
From Golden Gate Academy to Calatagan Institute: Opening doors for others
In 1963, my grandfather bought a one-room school house in a remote town called Calatagan, which sits on a peninsula a few hours south of Manila. This school had only 30 students at the time, and was known as Golden Gate Academy. He renamed it Calatagan Insitute (more fondly known as CI).
The people who sent, and continue to send their children to the school for the past 73 years are simple and humble people. In a country still mired in a semi-feudal political/economic system with a peasant class, for many, education was and is the best and only means to improve their status in life. Over the next several decades, graduates of the school coming from every corner of the peninsula have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, plumbers, accountants, nurses, teachers, carpenters, electricians, fishermen and farmers, with a greater sense of the world and of themselves.
My grandfather took immense pride in the fact that the school was (and continues to be) not for profit. He saw it as an honor and a means to help open doors for people in the same way that Mary MacArthur opened a door for him. Any income derived from the school was plowed back for its expansion and upkeep. Eventually, the school property encompassed two acres with a basketball court, a stage with a band room, and several buildings housing the offices and classrooms. At its peak, CI served over 900 high school students every year.
Decline of an Institution: A tragedy narrowly averted
When my grandfather passed away in 1997, it was the beginning of the school's decline. My father eventually inherited the school, and with all due respect, he was not very good at continuing what my grandfather had envisioned. Rather than plowing the income back to the school as had been the practice for the previous 35 years, he used the income to feed his gambling habits. Over the next thirteen years of mismanagement, the school fell into disrepair, the science and music equipment disappeared, the buildings were infested by termites, and walls separating classrooms had begun to crumble. By 2011, my father closed the school because he was unable to pay the teachers their salaries.
When my father passed away, we discovered that he had taken out a loan against the school. It was about to go into foreclosure, so we took out a loan and I flew to the Philippines to retrieve the title from the bank. It was a tragedy narrowly averted.
Evelyn
We discovered that an incredible person and alumni by the name of Evelyn Jose (CI Class of 1976), had taken over the school as a tenant in 2012. She had opened up the school again and has kept it running ever since. In effect, my father was no longer involved with the operations of the school. He merely provided the venue for it as a landlord. Because I wanted to continue my grandfather's wishes to give back to the community and keep the positive flow that Mary initiated in 1935 going, I stopped collecting rent from Evelyn, started the gofundme campaign to help buy books, science lab equipment, kitchen appliances, computers, printers, desks, and other school necessities keep the school from losing its license to operate and pass standards and inspection requirements . THANK YOU, DONORS!!!
And, that's about where we are now.
As of June 2021, there were 180 students enrolled at CI. Because of Evelyn and with the help of gofundme donors, Calatagan Institute is still alive and growing once again. The positive flow continues.
What your donations will go towards:
1. Continuing renovation and repair of roof, ceiling, and walls for three classrooms -----$2,300
2. Rebuilding of condemned two story structure ----$4,000
3. Care packages and some financial assistance for survivors of teachers, students, and parents lost to COVID (as of September 2021, we have lost one student, a first year teacher, and three parents of students to COVID; The teachers make about $120 a month with no benefits, and students enrolled in school come from families with very little means or extreme poverty) ----- $500
Total funding needed --------------------------------------------------------------$6,800
Should you want to help by directly purchasing and donating more science lab equipment (they should have one more scale), computers, reams of copy paper or anything else that the school needs, there is a website that is local and can deliver to the school. It's sort of like Amazon with branches in South East Asia, and you can order from overseas. Here's the website for the Philippine branch: https://www.lazada.com.ph/
**I was told by Evelyn that they went through 550 reams of copy paper due to the pandemic lockdown, as the students don't have computers at home to do online classes, so learning modules were created and sent home. They are still sending home modules, so reams of copy paper are still much needed and in short supply.
The school's address:
Calatagan Institute
Santo Domingo Street,
Calatagan, Batangas
Philippines
FAQ's
1. How is the school funded and teacher salaries and bills paid?
Hello! My name is Raymond Lacaba. My wife Sara and I are public school teachers in the State of California. We are trying to keep a seventy-three old non-profit school serving the needs of often impoverished and under served children in the Philippines alive. It's called Calatagan Institute. It is a school that has done so much good, for so many, and for so long. Please help us keep the positive flow started by General Douglas McArthur's mother going.
A Simple Act of Kindness: How General Douglas McArthur's random act of kindness in 1935 touched the lives of so many generations.
General Douglas MacArthur's mother opens the door of opportunity for a poor but very hard working teenager
The story starts with my grandfather, Eugenio Lacaba, who was hired by the general to take care of his laundry for barely a month in the 1930's. To make a long story short, the general took his mother, Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur, to the Philippines with him in 1935, when he retired from the US Army to build the Philippine Army prior to the outbreak of WWII. She passed away within two months of her arrival at the age of eighty-two. In that very short amount of time, she met my grandfather and completely changed his life and the lives of many generations to come.
Mary MacArthur saw something in my grandfather that impressed her enough (he once repaired a torn gown she had thrown away and surprised her with it), that she took it upon herself to make sure this young man found employment where his drive and talents could give him a better chance to get ahead in life. She found him a job in construction for the US military. Mary passed away very soon after.
My grandfather started as a common laborer and worked his way up the ladder of success very quickly. He eventually supervised the construction of the wall surrounding the American embassy in Manila, after World War II. By the 1960's, he was doing very well and had managed to buy pieces of real estate and started his own businesses. Mrs. MacArthur was exactly right about him.
From Golden Gate Academy to Calatagan Institute: Opening doors for others
In 1963, my grandfather bought a one-room school house in a remote town called Calatagan, which sits on a peninsula a few hours south of Manila. This school had only 30 students at the time, and was known as Golden Gate Academy. He renamed it Calatagan Insitute (more fondly known as CI).
The people who sent, and continue to send their children to the school for the past 73 years are simple and humble people. In a country still mired in a semi-feudal political/economic system with a peasant class, for many, education was and is the best and only means to improve their status in life. Over the next several decades, graduates of the school coming from every corner of the peninsula have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, plumbers, accountants, nurses, teachers, carpenters, electricians, fishermen and farmers, with a greater sense of the world and of themselves.
My grandfather took immense pride in the fact that the school was (and continues to be) not for profit. He saw it as an honor and a means to help open doors for people in the same way that Mary MacArthur opened a door for him. Any income derived from the school was plowed back for its expansion and upkeep. Eventually, the school property encompassed two acres with a basketball court, a stage with a band room, and several buildings housing the offices and classrooms. At its peak, CI served over 900 high school students every year.
Decline of an Institution: A tragedy narrowly averted
When my grandfather passed away in 1997, it was the beginning of the school's decline. My father eventually inherited the school, and with all due respect, he was not very good at continuing what my grandfather had envisioned. Rather than plowing the income back to the school as had been the practice for the previous 35 years, he used the income to feed his gambling habits. Over the next thirteen years of mismanagement, the school fell into disrepair, the science and music equipment disappeared, the buildings were infested by termites, and walls separating classrooms had begun to crumble. By 2011, my father closed the school because he was unable to pay the teachers their salaries.
When my father passed away, we discovered that he had taken out a loan against the school. It was about to go into foreclosure, so we took out a loan and I flew to the Philippines to retrieve the title from the bank. It was a tragedy narrowly averted.
Evelyn
We discovered that an incredible person and alumni by the name of Evelyn Jose (CI Class of 1976), had taken over the school as a tenant in 2012. She had opened up the school again and has kept it running ever since. In effect, my father was no longer involved with the operations of the school. He merely provided the venue for it as a landlord. Because I wanted to continue my grandfather's wishes to give back to the community and keep the positive flow that Mary initiated in 1935 going, I stopped collecting rent from Evelyn, started the gofundme campaign to help buy books, science lab equipment, kitchen appliances, computers, printers, desks, and other school necessities keep the school from losing its license to operate and pass standards and inspection requirements . THANK YOU, DONORS!!!
And, that's about where we are now.
As of June 2021, there were 180 students enrolled at CI. Because of Evelyn and with the help of gofundme donors, Calatagan Institute is still alive and growing once again. The positive flow continues.
Waiting for the morning assembly to begin.
This room and the ones next door need a new roof and ceiling.
View from the street. The roof and parts associated with it need to be completely replaced.
This building has been condemned and completely torn down. It needs to be replaced, perhaps with at least a single story building so that more students can be accommodated.
Some of the rooms that are still usable but need to be repaired. There are not enough desks in the second photo down, but gofundme donors helped solve that problem. Evelyn was also able to get the ceilings repaired. The roof just needs to be replaced now.
The Technology and Livelihood Education room has been repaired and kitchen equipment and a refrigerator have been purchased. In this picture, it was being used as a temporary office. I'll try to get an updated picture.
"WELCOME TO CALATAGAN INSTITUTE! Where your future begins."
The stage roof and ceiling were renovated by Korean missionaries five years ago. There used to be a band room behind the stage with electric guitars, a bass, and drums. All gone now, including the room. The kids used to rock in there.
My grandfather had some of these desks made from a huge tree in his yard that fell during a storm. So many students sat in these chairs and learned about the world.
Another room that can still be saved. It needs a new roof. Those dark spots below the windows were termite mounds.
The Science Lab. All the lab equipment went missing or broken and never replaced over the years of mismanagement, but we did replace most of them through gofundme donations.
I did purchase some equipment from Amazon and brought it over. It was a good start. I got a great deal on the used scale on Ebay. The telescope was my children's Christmas gift one year. They donated it.
The pictures are blurry, but they show money well spent.
The library is now stocked with used books donated by schools and teachers in the US. I'll be updating this picture to show what it looks like now,
The Cafeteria. I have no idea why the guy in the white shirt is standing up there. Maybe he is just protesting the horrible conditions of the roofs. Everyone seems to be doing a good job just ignoring him.
Hope for the Future
We can sell the property, but that would disregard entirely what my grandfather had intended it for. It will not keep his legacy alive, and who knows what a potential buyer might want to convert the school into. I'd hate to see it be anything other than a school called Calatagan Institute that serves the needs of the most underprivileged in society. I keep thinking about how Mrs. MacArthur's one very simple act of kindness benefited so many people for so long, and I value the privilege of being a part of that, so selling it is off the table as long as I am alive. I hope my children would do the same when I am gone.
Evelyn with a student.
Class of 1976 Scholarship Awardees. Evelyn's Alumni Class of 1976 awards scholarships so that books, tuition, shoes, materials, uniforms, and other expenses are 100% free to deserving students and families.
I would like to explore how more scholarships may be funded. Maybe a Mary MacArthur Scholarship Fund?
Our Fellow Teachers
The teachers at C.I. are incredibly selfless. Unfortunately, Evelyn is not able to pay them what they can possibly earn from teaching elsewhere, much less what they deserve teaching anywhere. Yet, they persist in teaching at C.I., because of loyalty to their alma mater, and they have faith that the school will continue to grow and thrive again.
Watching the seniors graduate.
Proud father and newly minted CI alumni.
Eight years ago.
This room and the ones next door need a new roof and ceiling.
View from the street. The roof and parts associated with it need to be completely replaced.
This building has been condemned and completely torn down. It needs to be replaced, perhaps with at least a single story building so that more students can be accommodated.
Some of the rooms that are still usable but need to be repaired. There are not enough desks in the second photo down, but gofundme donors helped solve that problem. Evelyn was also able to get the ceilings repaired. The roof just needs to be replaced now.
The Technology and Livelihood Education room has been repaired and kitchen equipment and a refrigerator have been purchased. In this picture, it was being used as a temporary office. I'll try to get an updated picture.
"WELCOME TO CALATAGAN INSTITUTE! Where your future begins."
The stage roof and ceiling were renovated by Korean missionaries five years ago. There used to be a band room behind the stage with electric guitars, a bass, and drums. All gone now, including the room. The kids used to rock in there.
My grandfather had some of these desks made from a huge tree in his yard that fell during a storm. So many students sat in these chairs and learned about the world.
Another room that can still be saved. It needs a new roof. Those dark spots below the windows were termite mounds.
The Science Lab. All the lab equipment went missing or broken and never replaced over the years of mismanagement, but we did replace most of them through gofundme donations.
I did purchase some equipment from Amazon and brought it over. It was a good start. I got a great deal on the used scale on Ebay. The telescope was my children's Christmas gift one year. They donated it.
The pictures are blurry, but they show money well spent.
The library is now stocked with used books donated by schools and teachers in the US. I'll be updating this picture to show what it looks like now,
The Cafeteria. I have no idea why the guy in the white shirt is standing up there. Maybe he is just protesting the horrible conditions of the roofs. Everyone seems to be doing a good job just ignoring him.
Hope for the Future
We can sell the property, but that would disregard entirely what my grandfather had intended it for. It will not keep his legacy alive, and who knows what a potential buyer might want to convert the school into. I'd hate to see it be anything other than a school called Calatagan Institute that serves the needs of the most underprivileged in society. I keep thinking about how Mrs. MacArthur's one very simple act of kindness benefited so many people for so long, and I value the privilege of being a part of that, so selling it is off the table as long as I am alive. I hope my children would do the same when I am gone.
Evelyn with a student.
Class of 1976 Scholarship Awardees. Evelyn's Alumni Class of 1976 awards scholarships so that books, tuition, shoes, materials, uniforms, and other expenses are 100% free to deserving students and families.
I would like to explore how more scholarships may be funded. Maybe a Mary MacArthur Scholarship Fund?
Our Fellow Teachers
The teachers at C.I. are incredibly selfless. Unfortunately, Evelyn is not able to pay them what they can possibly earn from teaching elsewhere, much less what they deserve teaching anywhere. Yet, they persist in teaching at C.I., because of loyalty to their alma mater, and they have faith that the school will continue to grow and thrive again.
Watching the seniors graduate.
Proud father and newly minted CI alumni.
Eight years ago.
What your donations will go towards:
1. Continuing renovation and repair of roof, ceiling, and walls for three classrooms -----$2,300
2. Rebuilding of condemned two story structure ----$4,000
3. Care packages and some financial assistance for survivors of teachers, students, and parents lost to COVID (as of September 2021, we have lost one student, a first year teacher, and three parents of students to COVID; The teachers make about $120 a month with no benefits, and students enrolled in school come from families with very little means or extreme poverty) ----- $500
Total funding needed --------------------------------------------------------------$6,800
Should you want to help by directly purchasing and donating more science lab equipment (they should have one more scale), computers, reams of copy paper or anything else that the school needs, there is a website that is local and can deliver to the school. It's sort of like Amazon with branches in South East Asia, and you can order from overseas. Here's the website for the Philippine branch: https://www.lazada.com.ph/
**I was told by Evelyn that they went through 550 reams of copy paper due to the pandemic lockdown, as the students don't have computers at home to do online classes, so learning modules were created and sent home. They are still sending home modules, so reams of copy paper are still much needed and in short supply.
The school's address:
Calatagan Institute
Santo Domingo Street,
Calatagan, Batangas
Philippines
FAQ's
1. How is the school funded and teacher salaries and bills paid?
The school is given about $180 a year by the Philippine government for each student. Parents are asked to contribute about $30 a year. Many parents simply do not have the means to make the needed contribution, so their son or daughter are deemed scholars and are still able to get an education. There are 30 scholars this year out of 180 students, With the income from the government and parent contributions for 180 students, Evelyn has to somehow pay eight teachers and a custodian/night watchman their wages and salaries, purchase materials, pay utility bills, pay for repairs, servicing and maintenance of equipment and structures, provide for food, transportation, and sometimes lodging for teacher training in Manila, and other miscellaneous and unexpected expenses. It's almost an impossible task, but Evelyn has done so much with so little, and I am very upbeat about the longer term survival of the school because of what she has accomplished.
2. Is there a free public school that students can attend instead of a privately owned school?
There was no public high school available on the peninsula until about ten years ago. Up until then, students had to go to either a for profit school, or a non-profit school. As a non-profit, CI filled the role of a public school in providing an education to those who cannot afford to attend the for profit private schools.
3. Why do students still enroll at CI if there is already a free public school close by?
As an institution that has been in existence for over seven decades, many families have a sense of loyalty to the school and choose to enroll their children there. Also, the public school is at full capacity and there is still a need for a non-profit school to fill the role of a public school to take care of the overflow. That's why it's important to make sure CI is able to accommodate the overflow by having the equipment and buildings in good order so that requirements and inspections are passed.
4. Do you personally get any income from the school?
No. The school has actually been a financial drain for me and my family. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret that at all. It's what I'm supposed to do to keep the McArthur and my grandfather's legacies alive, and I feel very honored and privileged by it. I do get a sense of satisfaction out of that. My grandfather's pet project is now my pet project, although I do not have the same resources as my grandfather had when he was running his business as I make due on a teacher's salary. I do not charge Evelyn rent, and I know she has been in the red herself on a personal basis, because the school just needs so much TLC and funding that is just not readily available without expanding enrollment. To expand enrollment, we need to fund construction and repair of the buildings.
5. What happens to income that is not spent?
We are extremely lucky to have person like Evelyn to run the school. I trust her completely. She earned that trust. I see a lot of progress since she took over (roofs replaced, equipment purchased, enrollment tripled, the school has survived for another decade). She is plowing what little might be left over after expenses back into the school. It's the way it was meant to be. Without her, the school would've been just a memory, and would most likely have been sold. I do dread what would happen if she is no longer able to run the school.
Please don't feel obligated and donate whatever you are comfortable with! Just sharing this story will also go a long way towards helping the school stay open!!!
Thank you for your support!!!
With unending gratitude,
The Lacaba family
2. Is there a free public school that students can attend instead of a privately owned school?
There was no public high school available on the peninsula until about ten years ago. Up until then, students had to go to either a for profit school, or a non-profit school. As a non-profit, CI filled the role of a public school in providing an education to those who cannot afford to attend the for profit private schools.
3. Why do students still enroll at CI if there is already a free public school close by?
As an institution that has been in existence for over seven decades, many families have a sense of loyalty to the school and choose to enroll their children there. Also, the public school is at full capacity and there is still a need for a non-profit school to fill the role of a public school to take care of the overflow. That's why it's important to make sure CI is able to accommodate the overflow by having the equipment and buildings in good order so that requirements and inspections are passed.
4. Do you personally get any income from the school?
No. The school has actually been a financial drain for me and my family. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret that at all. It's what I'm supposed to do to keep the McArthur and my grandfather's legacies alive, and I feel very honored and privileged by it. I do get a sense of satisfaction out of that. My grandfather's pet project is now my pet project, although I do not have the same resources as my grandfather had when he was running his business as I make due on a teacher's salary. I do not charge Evelyn rent, and I know she has been in the red herself on a personal basis, because the school just needs so much TLC and funding that is just not readily available without expanding enrollment. To expand enrollment, we need to fund construction and repair of the buildings.
5. What happens to income that is not spent?
We are extremely lucky to have person like Evelyn to run the school. I trust her completely. She earned that trust. I see a lot of progress since she took over (roofs replaced, equipment purchased, enrollment tripled, the school has survived for another decade). She is plowing what little might be left over after expenses back into the school. It's the way it was meant to be. Without her, the school would've been just a memory, and would most likely have been sold. I do dread what would happen if she is no longer able to run the school.
Please don't feel obligated and donate whatever you are comfortable with! Just sharing this story will also go a long way towards helping the school stay open!!!
Thank you for your support!!!
With unending gratitude,
The Lacaba family