Today, at the age of 65, teacher Terezinha Borges is enjoying her retirement, but before that she dedicated 30 years to education. She has transformed the lives of many children, while seeing the emergence and growth of the town of Pugmil, in the West of the State.
Professor Terezinha is the highlight of December in the institutional calendar of 2024. The product, along with the agenda, is part of the commemorative kit for the 35th anniversary of the TJTO and features a special series of tributes to people who have contributed to the building of the history of the Court. The 11 stories are published on the website of the TJTO and they can be accessed via the QR Code available for each month of the calendar.
She and her family left the town of Miracema and arrived in the region in 1966. “Pugmil didn't exist, the BR-153 highway project passed through here and we grew up here with this town. When it was 1989, we bought the house lot on Amazonas Street, built it and moved in. That was when I got married.”
And it was in this house that teacher Terezinha saw her daughters born and where they were raised.
When we arrived, there was only savannah and small streets. It wasn't even a street. The plot was divided up, but there was no structure whatsoever. Then, little by little, it was structured, improved... And thank God, when I thought it wouldn't, I was right in the center of Pugmil,” says the pensioner, who now lives near the school, the health center, the city hall and the church square. “I've settled in well and so have my brothers.
Living in the center of the city is a privilege for the retired teacher. And it's even better because she now has the documentation of the property, the Full Certificate, the popular title. Along with 120 other residents of the town, she was awarded land regularization titles. This was an initiative of the Judiciary of the state of Tocantins (PJTO), through the Center for Prevention and Land Regularization of the General Internal Affairs of Justice of the State of Tocantins (Nupref/CGJUS), in partnership with city halls, land registry offices and Tocantins Partnerships.
After more than three decades, Mrs. Terezinha and her other three siblings have realized a dream: “We are here together to fulfill a great dream of mine. Not just mine, but that of the entire community that is present”. According to her, the regularization process was easy, she only received a phone call asking her to go to the city hall to deal with the documentation and, best of all, there were no costs.
I thought it was very good. We don't have to spend extra money. It's obligatory to spend money when you go to register, but thank God we didn't have to. It's a great project, a very important initiative by both the city hall and the Judiciary and I'm very pleased. It's a dream come true. It's something to be thrilled about.
And the dream is just taking shape. With the document in hand, teacher Terezinha is already thinking about expanding her business. In the house, which is located on a corner, she runs an ice cream shop, a small business that can now be regularized, following the rules of the inspection bodies. “With the documentation, I can put up a commercial point, so I can only improve. Pugmil is growing, it's a town where you can find everything you're looking for, so it's very good.”
Thinking about the future, but grateful for the present and the stories she has experienced in Pugmil, the teacher talks about the importance of the Judiciary of the state of Tocantins enforcing the rights and duties of citizens. “The Judiciary has always been part of my history, which is why I even put my daughter through law school. These attitudes need to be taken. It's a body that is our defender. This work that the Judiciary is doing in the state of Tocantins is important and it's wonderful for us in Pugmil.”
Even more wonderful was sharing the dream with the whole family. “My mother always encouraged us, saying that the property was ours and shouldn't be sold.” And as an advice of a mother is said not to be ignored, Terezinha and her siblings have more reason than ever to smile because, with the title in their hands, they feel more secure.
