Street children from sitio Tanke II barangay Mambaling smile as they hold theri bags of new school supplies from the Cebu City police.
DESPITE the summer heat, 6-year-old Junrey Darangina was giddy as he lined up to receive a plastic bag filled with school supplies.
Junrey and his siblings Jacquelyn,11, and Cheramie, 9, were among 39 street children who received school supplies distributed by the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) at the South Road Properties (SRP) in Mambaling.
The distrbution was led by SPO3 Isagani Ceniza.
“Nalipay kay naa nakoy crayons, naa na pod koy notebook para skwela (I am happy because I now have crayons and notebooks for school),” Junrey told Cebu Daily News.
Born in a slum of Mambaling, Junrey can’t afford to own new school materials when classes open.
His mother Cheryl Darangina, 29, said her husband was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Bible classes
“I’m glad that whenever Ceniza comes here, my kids are in one place listening to his catechism classes instead of roaming around the streets,” she said in Cebuano.
Known by streetkids as Kuya (Brother) Boy, SPO3 Ceniza teaches street children basic prayers and tenets of the Catholic faith.
A photo of him conducting Bible classes for streetchildren by the roadside last year was taken by a passerby and posted on Facebook last year, calling attention to his apostolate.
“It was difficult at first reaching out to them. Whenever the children see a uniformed policeman, they would run away. So I used another strategy and wear my athletics uniform and smile,” Ceniza said.
The activity is part of a police foster parent program which started in February last year. Some police officers volunteer as foster parents to street children.
They hosted chidren parties sponsored by institutions like the Bantay Bata 163 of ABS-CBN. A summer camp in Camp Marina was shouldered by a retired car company employee from Norway named Harry Wad.
“Wad has been our partner since the start. Sometimes, he buys ice cream for the kids and some uniforms. He has a passion for helping kids,” said Chief Insp. Enrique Belciña, head of the Police Community Relations (PCR) of the Cebu City police.
After receiving the school supplies, the children attended sports training classes at the Sawang Calero gym.
This is in coordination with the Cebu City Sports Commission as their way of helping the kids.