Victorina was born on March 6, 1905 in Barrio Malamig, a small village in the backyard of San Pablo City, Laguna. She was born to Crisencio Reyes and Crispina Robles. Victorina was the older of two sisters and younger to her two step-siblings, Melanio and Carmen Ubal from the mother’s first marriage. Victorina’s father was a homemaker, an accomplished dressmaker and a very skilled harpist. Her parents only had basic education but they both had big dreams for their daughters- to have a college education.
Victorina and Angelina completed their high school education and thought that would be the end of their schooling. Fortunately, their older brother, Melanio, was an accomplished musician. He joined a band that played in a luxury cruise ship, the Azama Maru that sailed all over the world. He earned enough money playing the trumpet and generously financed the college education of his younger sisters. Victorina attended the National University in Manila where she earned her Bachelor in Education degree majoring in English and Math.
With her BSE diploma in hand, she wasted no time sending her application for a teaching position to the different high schools in the provinces of Laguna and Tayabas (Quezon). She was determined to grab the first offer that came her way and start her life’s journey to give back to her family who supported her through the years. The first door that opened to her was a small private school in the little town of Guinayangan, Quezon.This little town was almost unknown to the people of Tayabas. The town was not accessible by train because the Bicol Express that traversed the province between Manila and Bicol region did not go to Guinayangan. There was no railway to Guinayangan; not even a dirt road for cars and buses. The only way to get to Guinayangan at that time was by boat from Tagkawayan that sailed across the Ragay Gulf.The early narrative of Victorina’s experience in Guinayangan as a teacher and a private citizen, a dayuhan at that, and how she founded Guinayangan Academy is very sketchy. She did not keep records of her undertakings and if she did, they were probably lost in the various fires and other exigencies of her early struggles to adjust to her new calling and new environment. What the family knows are bits and pieces of information shared when the family gathered to talk among themselves, small vignettes and episodes that often brought laughter or tears as they listened to their small triumphs and pains.
It did not take very long for Victorina, Miss Reyes then to her students and colleagues, to take a new direction in her life. The following year, she relented to the persistent adulation of a handsome young man who got so enamored with this new teacher in town. He was Guillermo, the son of Don Rodrigo Garcia and Julia Narciso. Guillermo and Victorina got married in February 3, 1933. Not long after, Archimedes was born and four others joined the clan; Guillermo Jr., Elsa, Guina, Maria Cristina. The beloved Miss Reyes became and remained Mrs. Garcia until she returned to her creator in 2006 at the age of one hundred and one years.
The first few years of the couple’s married life were not easy. With Victorina’s meager salary as a school teacher and Guillermo’s limited income as a market collector, every day was an exercise in making both ends meets as they struggled to raise their growing family. As the couple went on to build their lives, they drew strength from their love, confidence and respect for each other, never losing sight of their vision and strong belief that they had within themselves, the resolve and the capability to fulfill their goals in life.
Victorina was a hard-worker, dedicated, diligent and totally committed to her profession. She was well loved and respected by her students. Teaching was her passion. She also strongly believed that education is the most important thing in every person’s life. One of her basic beliefs was “once you obtain your education, no one can take it away from you. You can gamble your wealth away or someone can steal from you, but your education is there for you forever.” True to this belief, her most important goal in life was to make sure that her children received the education that they would need to succeed in life.As her family grew, the fire of her determination to be able to give her children a college education got even stronger. When it became apparent that the school at which she was teaching began to falter, the fear losing her job and, thereby, jeopardizing her goal for her children became serious threats. In here heart she knew of only one thing- her dreams could not, must not die. When Tayabas Institute finally closed its door, Victorina’s determination to put up her own high school awakened every fiber in her body. She convinced herself that it was her mission to continue providing the youth of Guinayangan the venue through which they could obtain a high school education. “I can do this” became her mantra.
Guinayangan Academy came into existence in 1940, solidly grounded in the founder’s deep passion for teaching, dedication to her family, love for truth, iron-strong belief in herself and sincere desire to make a difference in the lives of her students. She went to the Bureau of Private Education with an application to open a high school which she named Guinayangan Academy. With the help and guidance of Miss Ancineta, the region supervisor, she was given the permission to initiate a secondary education program as long as she met the basic requirements of the Department of Education. Mrs. Garcia had big dreams but she was willing to start small. In fact, she started with almost nothing. She started with a rented space which, according to her was later gutted by fire. She recalled how several town mates, especially from the village of Manlayo, helped her saved some of the school materials by loading them in boats and keeping them at sea until the conflagration was over. These happenings are blurred in her children’s memory and could only recall bits of information from stories told around the dinner table. Around the time when the children were attending the Guinayangan Elementary School, Mrs. Garcia rented a building that was owned by Consuelo Marquez. When the war broke out in 1941, schools were closed as majority of the town’s residents evacuated to the hinterlands to avoid the horrors of war. When the Japanese forces formally occupied the country and conditions stabilized, schools were reopened. Guinayangan Academy was once again homeless and the only recourse Mrs.Garcia had was to use her own residence as the temporary place to conduct the classes. She relocated her family to a rented space in the vicinity where they could eat and sleep. Eventually, Mrs. Garcia negotiated the purchase of the old building which it presently occupies.
During the founding years of Guinayangan Academy, enrollment was very small. Her first graduates were four students: Victor Eleazar, Ellen Lago, Remedios Mendoza and Lydia Salumbides. Mrs Garcia taught most of the subjects she was qualified to teach. She served as the school Principal as well as classroom teacher, counselor and even the school janitor. From a slow start, she was eventually able to offer a complete four-year secondary education program. Teachers were added to the faculty and offered free tuition to those who were willing to be on a work-study program helping in cleaning the school premises. Gradually, she added small building for more classrooms to accommodate the growing enrollment of the school.
In 1952, three of the Garcia children had graduated from GA. They were sent to Manila to attend college. The Garcias decided to build a house in Quezon City so the children can stay together instead of living separately in apartments or college dorms. The area where they purchased their property was growing and developing. It used to be a farm but the owners decided to develop and sell the properties as home sites. While there were elementary schools in the township, there were no high schools for the local residents. They had to go to Manila to attend the public high schools. Once again, the desire of Mrs.Garcia to contribute to the growth of the community began to brew in her mind. Why not put up a private high school here so the young students need not travel to the city to attend school? Thus, Bonifacio Academy, a sister institution of Guinayangan Academy, was founded. Guina and Cristina were graduated from this school.
To date, thousands of students have crossed the threshold of Guinayangan Academy. They have become professionals in various fields of specialization. Wherever you go in various parts of the world, you will find a GA graduate giving useful contributions to their host nations. Those who chose to remain in this beloved town Guinayangan, GA graduates have become productive members of their community, providing local leadership and important services to the people of Guinayangan as government officials, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, law enforcers, merchants and loving and caring parents. In the year 2015, Guinayangan Academy will celebrate its 75th foundation anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Garcia who were laid to rest inside the school campus will surely be smiling and cheering as they welcome all the teachers, students, friends and supporters of the school they so loved and nurtured all their lives. They will welcome and thank all the returning alumni for their loyalty and support and will turn to each other and proudly say, “Job well done.”
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