Elementary school pupils of barangay Camp 7 in Minglanilla town, southern Cebu can finally see more clearly after the recent Visayan Electric Company (Veco) switch-on ceremony last Dec 17.
Veco chief operating officer Anton Mari Perdices led the ceremony with Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, Cebu 1st District Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas, Minglanilla Mayor Elanito Peña and Vice Mayor Robert John Selma.
School head Sharon Abellaneda said the students can now do their assignments regularly, submit their projects on time, study during nighttime, level up their talents and be updated of new technology.
Abellaneda said that before they gained access to electricity, the pupils used kerosene lamps at night to study.
“We go to bed early because the kerosene lamp only lasts until dinner,” said 13-year-old Edmar Rapayla in Cebuano.
The students could rarely accomplish their assignments at home from the lack of illumination. They did their assignments in school after their class at 4 p.m.
“Pwerteng paita, usahay madagma mi sa dalan kun mahutdan mi og kerosene (Life is so hard. Sometimes we stumble on the road when kerosene runs low) [and we can’t buy immediately because the store is far],” said 45-year-old
Yolanda Badayos, a resident of sitio Calbasa-an, barangay Camp 7.
It is common practice for the children in the community to help their parents bring sacks of farm produce to the market so they could sell it and buy rice and kerosene with the proceeds.
“We at Veco are very happy that you now have light. One of you might become mayor, vice mayor, governor or vice governor,” Perdices told the pupils, who in return shouted, “Thank you, sir!”
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