A Brief: Socorro A. Pilor

From My Old Files: A Woman Who Taught Us More Than Mathematics

In one of those unexpected twists life throws our way, I once found myself tasked with introducing the Director of the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat — my former boss, Ms. Socorro A. Pilor — to a distinguished audience. I remember thinking, How do you condense a lifetime of dedication, brilliance, and humility into a few minutes at the podium?

Years have passed since that day, but while sorting through my old files in a quiet moment, I found the worn sheet of paper with my introduction still intact. And as I read it again, I realized it wasn’t just an introduction. It was a testament to a life’s work — and the story deserved to be told again.

Ms. Socorro A. Pilor’s journey began at St. Paul College, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Education, major in Mathematics and minor in English. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Teaching Mathematics from De La Salle University, this time as a scholar of the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines.
From her earliest years as a young teacher at her alma mater — juggling math and English classes, inspiring both high school and college students — she showed a rare dedication to her craft. But she was not content to simply teach; she wanted to grow. That drive took her to the Division of City Schools in Manila, where she joined the ranks of Manila Science High School’s finest educators.

Her career opened doors to the world. She became a MOMBUSHO scholar in Japan, training for a year and a half at Tsukuba University. Later, she honed her skills in educational technology in Malaysia, learning to develop computer-assisted teaching tools for science and mathematics.

She was more than a teacher — she was a mentor, coach, and builder of champions. Under her guidance, her students brought home top honors in mathematics competitions. And while plaques and trophies filled her shelves, she often said her greatest award was seeing her students succeed in life. One of them, Dr. Raymond Sison, would go on to win the Metrobank Outstanding Teacher Award in 2010 — a full-circle moment for both mentor and mentee.

Her contributions extended far beyond the classroom. She became an editor of mathematics textbooks, a Supervising Instructional Materials Development Officer, and a recipient of the General Manager’s Award and the Outstanding Employee Certificate of Recognition. Eventually, she took the helm at the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat, first as Chief of the Evaluation and Training Division, and later, as its Executive Director.

On the day I introduced her, I ended with these words:

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ms. Socorro A. Pilor, Executive Director of the Instructional Materials Council Secretariat of the Department of Education.”

Looking back now, I wish I had added something more — not about her titles or awards, but about the kind of leader she was. The kind who inspired without raising her voice, who corrected without belittling, and who believed in people more than they sometimes believed in themselves.

And perhaps that’s the truest introduction of all.

You Don't Have to Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket

 I have not posted anything here in months because I was so busy with my other tasks at the office.  Also, I am too engrossed in my role as a YouTuber.  For your information, my YT channel has reached a milestone, it has more than 1,500 subscribers, reached more than 4000 watch hours, and is now eligible for Ads. You can visit my channel and you can make some comments at As Good As I Can Be it is now running Ads and I am just waiting for the PIN for it to be monetized.  Please, don't forget to subscribe too.

You might wonder what comes to my mind to say something about the title of my blog.  Well, it goes this way.  I have two friends at the office who happened to be skillful and talented and they were promoted recently.  I am so happy for them, Mam Judy, also my Kababayan, was promoted from PDO III to Senior Education Program Specialist (SEPS) while my dear friend, George will be promoted from SEPS to Learning Resources Supervisor in DepEd Sorsogon City.

The abovementioned colleagues were so brilliant that they were entrusted with so many things at the office, e.g., Judy was tasked to perform duties in all procurement activities while George was tasked with National Math Programs at the office.  They were the lead roles without assistants, I am so afraid of what would happen just in case someone got sick or somebody went on a leave of absence. 

Now the challenge, because opportunity knocks - which anyone, of course, would grab.  Judy was promoted by another office a month ago while Goerge will be in DepEd Sorsogon City in August. Voila!  The positions will be vacant and there was a need to train new employees.  I am praying that our office will be able to get competent people like them.

Moving on, I felt that as a leader, you have to assign people other than the focal person(s) some vital tasks so as not to experience similar challenges in the future.  Hopefully, the problems will be over by now or in the coming weeks since new employees will be at the office soon.