Artemio Bautista, known to many as Art, always thought his name would lead him to a life of painting and drawing. With a passion for the arts, he dreamt of becoming a Fine Arts student but as it turned out, fate had other plans for him.
Being a social worker wasn’t part of his dream. He never imagined that he would be working in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Art came from a family of soldiers. His father, grandfather, and brother all served in the military, naturally leading him to consider a career in the Armed Forces too.
“Kasi, in our family wala talagang social worker and then mga teachers kasi ‘yung kapatid ko, sundalo. Tapos yung lolo ko sundalo, ‘yung tatay ko sundalo, and I decided na gusto kong sumunod sa kanila,” Art told the Kwentong Angels in Red Vests (ARV), the latest online documentary of the DSWD’s Strategic Communications.
Art’s father, however, persuaded him to choose a different path.
“Sabi ng father ko, ‘tama na kaming sakripisyo so maghanap ka anak ng ibang kurso’. Interested kasi ako dati ng Fine Arts, talagang ’yun talaga ang pinaka-dream ko sa buhay kaya lang alam mo naman ang mga farmers sa Mindanao dati walang mga puhunan. Mahirap ang buhay,” Art narrated.
Knowing that life is hard for a farmer’s family in Mindanao, Art immediately gave up on his dream of taking the expensive Fine Arts course.
Art first tried a Civil Engineering course at the Mindanao State University (MSU) but since he enrolled late, he ended up taking Bachelor of Arts not knowing it would lead him to a new purpose in life.
One day, while sitting under a tree in MSU overlooking Marawi City, Art prayed and asked God what course he should take.
That’s when a fellow church member approached him and asked, “Gusto mo bang maging tagapagtanggol ng mga mahihirap?”
Art was taken aback by the random question.
“‘Yun po yung nag-strike sa akin. Sabi ko ‘may kurso bang tagapagtanggol ng mahihirap maliban sa military’. Maliban sa military wala namang tagapagtanggol. Sabi niya [church mate], meron, social work,” Art vividly recalled.
By chance, the dean of the social work program was the uncle of his church friend so the transfer from Bachelor of Arts to Social Work was smooth and easy.
“Maniwala kayo sa hindi, ang social work ay napamahal lang sa akin noong third year na ako,” Art said.
His love for social work grew stronger when he had his field practice in Iligan City. The barangay where he was assigned was hit by a disaster and his supervisor asked him to write a proposal to help the community.
“‘Mag draft ka ng proposal at i-endorse natin’. Bilang estudyante, gusto ko talaga ’yung magsulat, ‘yung magpakitang-gilas. Nag-draft ako ng proposal at noong i-submit niya doon sa Iligan City, in-approve na ‘yun. That‘s the first time na ung proposal kong ginawa na in-approve ng isang city social welfare officer,” Art narrated..
He then recalled: “Pagbalik ko sa university, napamahal na sakin ‘yung social work office non. That’s the time sabi ko, truly, God predestined me to this. ‘Yun na ’yon, napamahal na sa’kin.”
Art graduated with a degree in Social Work in 1993 and started his career at the DSWD later on.
Dedicated to his work, Art is now the section head of the Policy, Quality, Assurance and Compliance Section of the DSWD’s Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU).
After many years of service, Art has this message for fellow social workers: “Tuloy lang kayo kasi kayo yung pag-asa ng ating bayan. Ang social worker ay kayang gumawa ng isang pamilyang maayos, isang pamilyang masaya habang nagtatrabaho.”
The Kwentong ARV is hosted by Director Lara Ang Duran of the Traditional Media Service (TMS) and airs every other Monday over the DSWD Facebook page. It features stories of social workers and agency personnel dedicated to serving poor Filipinos with extra love and extra care. (YADP)