The NONAS Try-Out: My Way Out of the Farm

When I arrived in Kabankalan City, I discovered about 700 other student applicants getting ready to make the walk to the Negros Occidental National Agriculture School (NONAS) campus. As the length of time and distance increased, a good number of us decreased. Many could not endure the long hike and gave up without ever starting the Try-Out for school enrollment. Only about half arrived at the school site.

The Try-Out started the next day. The whole operation was managed by a strict Farm Manager. All the activities in the Try-Out were very similar to the farm labor I had already experienced. I was one of the smallest applicants, but our supervising student assistant was impressed with my performance. I was thankful to my Lolo Julian for the farming experience on Campo Santiago. Some of the applicants suffered accidents such as a bolo knife wound due to lack of experience. Some were awkward and didn’t know how to use the tools, like the two-man saw, shovels, spades, crowbars, etc. After two weeks of the Try-Out, the Farm Manager gave us strict instruction to wait for the acceptance letter from the NONAS authorities.

After the Try-Out, I checked my performance rating with my student assistant, and he assured me that I passed with 80% rating. However, after a few days I was the only one out of eight applicants from Cadiz who had not received an acceptance letter. This did not stop me from returning to NONAS, still fueled by my burning desire to study. In my first confrontation with the Farm Manager, he confessed he disqualified me for enrollment due to me being undersized, underweight, under height and underaged.

The Farm Manager insisted that I cannot enroll because NONAS is a pioneering school, and if something like an accident happened to me, he might be jailed for enrolling a student who was physically unfit. I was still begging for the consideration and mercy of the school authorities when enrollment started. Despite my repeated appeal to the Farm Manager, he remained firm in his rejection. I stopped meeting with him and instead went in search of the Principal, a reserved Army Captain who prayed the Holy Rosary at 6:00 o’clock every evening. My first plea with him was as discouraging as with the Farm Manager. The Principal took one look at me and advised me to go home, eat, and come again next year after I grew more. I tried to meet with him everyday, and everyday, he repeated the same advice.

On the 23rd time of meeting with him, I gathered enough courage to reveal my last hope at a change of heart. I told him that I will obey his advice to leave the NONAS Campus, but I will not go home. He cut me short asking, “So what?” Bravely, I told him, “Sir, I cannot go home as a loser. This is my only opportunity to study. I beg for your compassion and mercy, but you firmly deny me. As Principal of this School, I hold you responsible for my fate and my future. Goodbye, Sir!”

As I disappeared in defeat down the descending path from the Principal’s office, the janitor ran after me with encouraging news that the Principal was summoning me. When I stood in front of the Principal, he did not look at me anymore. He was stooping over a piece of paper and writing. He gave me the paper and without looking at me instructed, “Give this to the Farm Manager.” I took the paper and thanked him. On my way to the Farm Manger’s office, I read the message,