Japan ODA 60th Anniversary

A Permanent Piece of Home: JICA

Katherine Anne Del Rosario, Third Place, Cavite National High School

The name of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is one that, in my school, is mentioned with familiarity, with ease, and at times, with reverence. JICA is one of the most well known organizations in our campus because of the impact one of its projects has made on our schooling.

JICA constructed a building consisting of five rooms, not counting the comfort rooms, in my school – without which, my life as a student would have been quite difficult. Our JICA building, affectionately called "JICA" by the students, sits snugly behind a line of trees and in front of our basketball court, by a path leading from the school gates. It has a homey feel to it and is home to our school's Research Lab, Teacher's Library, Learning Resources Center, Munting Museo (Mini Museum), and a pair of comfort rooms. This edifice is a certified go-to for our award-winning researchers as it holds the key to various books, references, lab equipment, and the other ABC's one needs in Research. It is also where most of the trophies won by our alumni sit, shining and unforgotten. The Munting Museo guides one through the school's history and past accomplishments. It also boasts of an array of authentic artifacts that have significant meaning to the Philippine history.

Back in 2012, I had my interview to apply for my school in the JICA building. It was only my third time stepping onto school grounds, the other two times being the first two screenings I had to take. I was still getting the hang of walking down the old pavement in front of the JICA building, for it seemed almost foreign – alien – underneath my rubber soles. I took my first steps on the building with a slight tremor in my legs for I wanted to be admitted into this high school so badly. I stopped to take a deep breath, and in through my nose wafted the scent of fresh paint. It calmed me somewhat - the knowledge that I was not the only one new here.

I stepped in the library – which, I learned later on, was actually called the Learning Resources Center – and was greeted by the cool, air-conditioned air. I was surrounded by books and wooden tables. Sofas lined the right wall, near the big glass windows. The room had a high ceiling and its walls were both wood and concrete. The walls were painted beige and everything around me felt so cozy. I felt right at home.

Now, looking back, I could say that the ambiance of that interview room right then helped me a lot in getting into my school. And it probably helped all the other students, too. See, the JICA is much more than just a building to us. It is a part of home.

One time, in our Science sophomore class, our teacher said with a sly smile, "This building is actually immune to earthquakes." Of course, we were awestruck. How could a structure as simple as this withstand the power of a quake?

She then discussed, in detail, about how the JICA was actually assembled and foldable. That upon bringing it into our campus, several men had to assemble its walls and roof in order to make it what it is right now – a small task compared to the daunting challenge that is constructing an actual building with frames, drills, and the whole shebang. "So in case of an earthquake, you guys know where to run." She added.

It has been years since the JICA building was delivered and assembled in our campus. It is home to several hundred books, around ten to twenty shelves of trophies, hours of laughter, of research, of hard work. In its rooms, there have been triumph, chagrin, stress, and celebration. The memories that it helps us students make are endless. The building has always been, in a word, beautiful.

But as the years go by, the students never neglect to make the most out of the JICA. It is regularly renovated and repainted. Almost quarterly, students do a clean-up in its rooms. Its equipment are well taken care of, its floors always spotless. We strive to bring out the best in it, as it always has brought out the best in us.

The JICA building has stood in my school for over a decade. And I know with utmost certainty that it will keep standing in our campus with decades more to come. It will have more books, more lab equipment, and more trophies. But it will always be the same JICA where our researchers spend their wee hours. It will always be my first choice in deciding where to go in case of an earthquake. It will always be that bizarre, assembled building that runs from near the gate all the way to the back of the school. There will always be students who will clean it every single day, dusting every table top and shelf.

I could already picture myself as an alumna – walking into the school, feeling invigorated and free after experiencing four years in the jungle known as high school. I would look at the JICA building, and feel a twinge of sentiment.

It has always been, after all, a part of home.