Hope sparks in Talaingod as LGU Tagum gives school fixtures

TALAINGOD, DAVAO DEL NORTE – School children studying in one of the remotest schools in Sitio Mesolong, Barangay Santo Niño in this town famous for its rich natural resources had a new reason to be excited to go to school every day. The conditions of the school children here, though, are a stark contrast to its rich natural resources.

Mesolong Elementary School, which is approximately 8 kilometers away from downtown Talaingod, lacks school chairs which greatly affect the school’s delivery of quality education. There are days when some students would be happy if some classmates would be absent because there will be a vacant seat for them to sit upon.

The days when students carry the burden of having no enough armchairs in their classrooms is now a thing of the past as the City Government of Tagum turned over new school fixtures for the benefit of the 210 out of 575 school children here, majority of whom had to walk several kilometers in bare foot just to attend to their daily classes.

City Mayor Rey T. Uy led the turn-over rites of (70) seventy armchairs, (70) seventy desks and (7) seven tables with chairs on September 13, 2011 in the presence of the students, their parents and teachers. It was learned that the school head, Mr. Arnel F. Labasan, requested the said furniture only through text.

Sto. Niño National High School in downtown Talaingod was also given 105 armchairs, courtesy of the Local Government of Tagum. This school furniture was fabricated by the City Government of Tagum from the hot logs confiscated in Talaingod and other parts of Davao Region months ago which was turned over by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to the city for its capability of fabricating these logs into useful materials.

“Ampingan nato ang mga lingkuranan para magamit pa sa mga mosunod na mga estudyante ug henerasyon,” (Let’s take care of the chairs for the next batch of students and the next generation to benefit) stressed Mayor Uy during his speech.

Present during the turn-over rites were Talaingod Municipal Mayor Basilio A. Libayao, Vice Mayor Francisco Hipolia, Tribal Datu Linasod Sibuyan of Sitio Mesolong and P/Insp. Eduard B. Jungco, OIC-Chief of Police of Talaingod.

Aside from Talaingod, other towns in the nearby Compostela Valley Province had also been given materials made from confiscated logs for them to fabricate.