On the second death anniversary of volunteer teacher for the Lumad, Chad Booc, his closest friends recalled his words and the life he lived. His selflessness continues to inspire many others to serve the marginalized and oppressed.
By DOMINIQUE NICOLE FLORES
He knew death like the back of his hand. It stalked the countryside where he taught, trailing the shadows of Lumad teachers and students alike, soldier bullets taking their last breath. Each loss seemed to have stripped away his chances of changing fate. Despite all risks, his commitment to educate the Lumad and defend their rights was resolute — even until his final days.
While Chad Booc may be remembered as the cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines (UP) who chose the unconventional path, he was so much more. He was a loving son, a caring brother, a kind friend and a passionate teacher who dedicated his life to bettering the country, especially for the disadvantaged and national minorities.
Teacher Chad
Before becoming a Lumad teacher, Chad had contemplated a corporate path just like most UP graduates do, tempted even more when job offers came pouring in.
But after joining the Manilakbayan in 2015, a 700-strong protest caravan in Metro Manila to amplify issues of human rights violations and militarization in Mindanao, Chad’s dream became crystal clear: to teach full-time in Lumad schools in Surigao del Sur and live simply in the province was ideal for him.
“Sobrang nabago ng mga kwento nila ang pananaw ko sa buhay. Talagang tumibay [ang] prinsipyo’t paninidigan ko,” (Their stories changed my views on life. My principles and commitment became stronger.) he said in a Facebook post in 2016, as if an ever-burning flame kindled within him.
Kat Dalon, a Lumad student now studying in UP, first met Chad when she was still in a bakwit (Tagalog for evacuate) school in 2017. It was only later in 2019 when she began spending more time with him as part of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (Alcadev).
Since then, she always thought of how humble and brave Chad was to pursue a job that didn’t pay, despite all the opportunities laid out for him.
“Maraming oportunidad ang naghihintay sa kanya, alam natin ‘yun, pero pinili niyang iwan para magturo sa Lumad school,” (There were many opportunities waiting for him but he ignored those to teach in a Lumad school.) Kat shared. “Doon pa lang, mataas na yung pagtingin namin sa kanya at lagi niya sinasabi sa amin [na] pantay-pantay lang kami dito. Hindi siya mataas dahil nag-UP siya.” (Because of that, my respect for him deepened, and he would always tell us that we were equals. That he was not above us even if he studied in UP.)
Kat assisted Chad in educational activities for the students. She watched him grow as a Lumad teacher specializing in Math and Science who drew upon his background in Computer Science.
Kat found Chad particularly special due to his consistent presence that enabled students to accomplish a myriad of tasks. In cultural and solidarity nights, he was there. In preparing meals, he was there. In jamming sessions, he was there.
“Kumakanta siya kahit minsan di niya nakukuha ‘yung tono,” (He would sing even if sometimes he could not hit the right notes.) Kat mused, recalling moments when Chad continued even after singing the wrong lyrics.
Whenever possible, Chad would also check on his students, offering solace during afflictions like the Lumad killings and the anguish of lost lands. He would say, “Laban lang” (Fight on) and “Magpatuloy” (Brave on) as if these words aren’t uttered enough because society struggles to persist.
For Kat, Chad’s greatest strength as a teacher lay in his ability to sow seeds of hope, especially when the Duterte administration had shut down hundreds of their schools. He, along with other Lumad teachers, told the students that a school is not limited to its structure or the four corners of a classroom.
“Kung hanggang saan man dadalhin ng mga paa, matututo pa rin sa masa, sa mga tao, sa mga komunidad na madadatnan, sa mga tao na makakausap,” (No matter where your feet take you, you would always learn from the masses, from the communities, from the people you talk with.) Kat said, her voice wavering as she held back tears.
Ka Chad
Chad was also a dear friend to many, one who did not take “okay lang” (just fine) for an answer when asked about their current disposition. His devotion to friendship was accompanied by his relish for fresh gossip that they would call him chikadora and chismoso. But most of all, Chad had a natural charisma that made it easy for him to get along with others.
“Isang strength na nakita ko sa kanya ay people person siya. Ang gaan ng aura, ang gaan ng vibe. Effortless siya sa gano’n,” (One of the strengths I saw in him was his being a people person. His aura, his vibe was light. He was effortless in that sense.) Mench Tilendo, a journalist and activist, said. “‘Yun ang isa sa naging social capital niya, kumbaga kung bakit marami naggravitate sa campaign ng Lumad.” (That was his social capital, and why many gravitated towards the campaign for the Lumad.)
Mench was one of his closest friends since his freshman days in 2012. They lived in the same dorm, Kalayaan Residence Hall, and studied in the same college, but not until Mench shifted to the journalism program. Though pursuing polar-opposite fields, their paths crossed every now and then due to a shared commitment to the same causes.
From their early days participating in freshmen events to campaigning alongside one another for student council positions, Chad and Mench frequently collaborated within shared university circles. Even after Chad lost the race for engineering representative, he stayed actively involved through progressive mass organizations like Alay Sining.
When he graduated, they only got to meet again during the Manilakbayan in 2016 which Mench helped organize alongside various sectoral organizations and Lumad communities. This time, Chad was not just a UP student or an activist, he was a Lumad teacher.
“‘Chad, alam mo (you know) this was made for you,'” Mench recalled telling him, recounting the beaming smile and energized cadence he had as he introduced her to his Lumad students. She was convinced he had found his true calling, and at a young age at that.
In the same year, Micah Simon was a freshman at UP when she first met Chad. Inspired by his genuine dedication to teach in communities, she followed in his footsteps and became a Lumad teacher herself.
For Micah, it all started when she messaged him asking how she could visit the Lumad schools. Once she volunteered for Alcadev, they worked in sync — Chad creating publicity materials and Micah writing statements. Regardless of the distance, they always tossed around ideas on how to maximize the reach of Lumad calls.
They were so close that people would think they were in a relationship, a joke they eventually teased each other with. But there were also times when they wouldn’t talk, Micah said.
“Hindi [kami] nagpapansinan dahil naiintindihan namin. Malaking factor na we are both diagnosed as bipolar, so we know how to move, kung paano mag-adjust sa isa’t isa,” (We were not talking because we understood each other well. Both of us were diagnosed as bipolar and so we know how to adjust with each other’s temperaments.) she added.
Whether in good or bad times, Micah believed that no distance can keep them apart. At the end of the day, she said, “Magkikita pa rin kami. Andu’n siya.” (We would still see each other. He would be there.)
Persevering
But as happy as Chad was in becoming a Lumad teacher, the rest of his experience was nothing short of challenges.
In 2017, he and two other Lumad teachers were arrested and detained for protesting in Congress against Martial Law in Mindanao. Four years later, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad and 19 Lumad students were arrested after the police raided the retreat house where they evacuated to in Cebu.
Worse, about 178 out of 215 Lumad schools were forcibly shut down from 2016 to 2021, according to Save Our Schools (SOS) Network. This put at least 5,500 students out of school.
Whose heart would not break and mental state not waver? Chad was no exception. He, too, was scared. He, too, felt moments of despair. He, too, was human.
Mench revisited the time she once dropped by prison to interview Chad. She could remember his tired eyes and vacant stare, washed out complexion and trembling hands. He was traumatized, wrestling with his mental health condition, and everything he had fought for seemed to be falling apart.
Acting on instinct, Mench mobilized their batchmates and called for support for Chad. His former student organizations also formed an alliance named Justice for Chad Booc Network to strengthen the campaign. Kat and other Lumad students sent a barrage of letters to restore hope. His family regularly brought food and raised funds.
“Ilang beses din akong nawalan ng gana habang nasa Bakwit School sa Cebu. Ilang beses na nagalit at umuwi na lang sa bahay namin dahil sa labis na stress at anxiety,” (There were times when I lost hope while in bawit school in Cebu. There were times I was angry and I went home due to stress and anxiety.) Chad said in a Facebook post after his release. “Pero di ako sinukuan ng mga estudyante.” (But the students never gave up on me.)
Until the very end, Kat, Mench and Micah did not once hear him regret the life he led serving the Lumad community.
Remembering Chad
Five days after the Armed Forces of the Philippines bloodied their hands with Chad’s death, his family retrieved his remains on March 1, 2022. And just like the Lumad, who believe in sowing lost lives as if they were seeds, Chad returned to the very land that raised him. It was his wish for when time was no longer by his side.
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“‘Pag itinanim ka, ibig sabihin, sisibol kang muli. Tutubo, yayabong, mamamayagpag, mamumunga at magbubunsod pa ng mas marami. ‘Pag itinanim ka, hindi ito iyong katapusan mo. Ito lamang ang simula mo,” (When you are planted, that means you will grow again. You will expand, bear fruit and multiply. When you are planted, that would not be your end. That will be your beginning.) an excerpt from a poem he wrote in 2019 read.
This is why, whether in mourning or not, Lumad students like Kat believe they are the reflection of all that Chad and their other teachers have endured to achieve for their community. The mere fact that they still stand today in the struggle is a testament to Chad’s sacrifices.
“Kahit hindi siya Lumad, siya ‘yung ibig sabihin ng mahigpit na pakikiisa sa pagdepensa ng lupang ninuno,” Kat said. (Even if he’s not a Lumad, he embodied what strong solidarity for the defense of ancestral land means.)
For Mench, Chad is a martyr who practiced the principles of Lumad education: no student left behind. He embodied how the Lumad students’ strength is “as strong as the weakest link.”
But above all else, the source of his undeterred devotion to the service lay in his selflessness. He did not only seek his calling but he fought to claim it as his own, immersing in a community beyond his comfort zone.
“Siya ‘yung patunay na mayroon talagang selfless na mga tao. (He’s proof that there are people who can be selfless.) Selfless, and I mean it in every sense of the word,” Mench said.
For Micah, it was his courage that she will carry with her wherever she goes. As a Lumad teacher, she will remember his words to her: “Kaya tibayan ang mga sarili. … Balikan natin kung para kanino ang lahat ng ‘to.” (Be strong. Remember for whom this is all about.)
Chad was many things, but he is and always will be a reminder for the masses to persist in the struggle — to protect one’s rights, one’s home and one’s life. In his death, life surrounds him. (RVO) 
