BALANCING ACT. Reynald Racoma, one of the beneficiaries of the bicycle project, tries out his mountain bike. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Reynald Racoma, 12, goes to school by hiking for about two hours everyday. But starting Monday, Racoma and 18 other students of Lusaran National High School in an upland barangay in Cebu City will be pushing pedals after they got new bicycles from the Philippine Educators Association of Cesos and Eligibles, (Peace) Inc.
The bicycles were distributed on Monday morning in a brief ceremony at the Ecotech Center in sitio Sudlon, barangay Lahug.
Reynald mounted his bicycle the moment he got hold of it. The Peace donation is in support of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) “Pedals and Paddles Project” which aims to give boats or bicycles to students in far-flung barangays. The initiative is also supported by Bike for the Philippines and the Yellow Boat of Hope.
The program targets about 100,000 students who have to walk long distances, wade through rivers or even swim to the next island to attend school.
“Through Pedals and Paddles, we hope to help students who live far from their schools, and in turn, improve their performance in school by reducing their travel time,” said Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, who is also the president of Peace.
In a press statement, Umali said that Peace and their partner NGOs, as well as private and government sector representatives are committed to deliver “education to the Filipino learners.”
Education Secretary Armin Luistro said DepEd adheres to its mandate of providing quality education for Filipino children.
“The department remains committed to the delivery of quality basic education to Filipino learners especially to those who live in areas where transportation remains a challenge. We want to let every student know that we have not forgotten them and that they are not alone,” he added.