Former street children dance for cops’ school day opening program

Five former street children, are among the children who danced with police officers in front of the Carlos Gothong National High School as part of the Sawang Calero Police Station’s opening of classes program. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

AT LEAST five former street children – two boys and three girls – whose schooling is funded by the Sawang Calero police station, entertained students, teachers and parents of the Don Sergio Carlos A. Gothong Memorial National High School in Barangay San Nicholas, Cebu City yesterday.

The five students went to their respective classes late yesterday because they still had to dance and entertain those who attended school at the Gothong National High School in a program organized by the Sawang Calero Police Station. The program also included the distribution of free school supplies to less fortunate students in Gothong high school.

The students, some of them wearing police uniforms, danced in front of the school, and during a 15-minute break the police officers distributed the school supplies.

“Ato naning gipangandaman sa sayo pa (We prepared for this earlier),” said Senior Inspector Chuck Barandog, Sawang Calero police station chief.

“I supported the police program because I want to become a policeman when I grow up,” John Cris Abesia, a grade five pupil and one of those who performed in front of the school, said in Cebuano.

Another former street child who danced yesterday, Je Le Panvela, a Grade 5 student of Pasil Elementary School, said she too wanted to become a police officer when she grows up.

Barandog said they shouldered the school expenses of these five children and this was the third time that they requested their help for this program

“We requested that they join us so that they can feel how a policeman works especially since most of them wanted to become police officers,” Barandog said in Cebuano.

Meanwhile, Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Police Regional Office Central Visayas chief, said the opening of classes was generally peaceful and there were no reports of untoward incidents in schools.

Comendador also assured the students’ security after several police officers were deployed to the 2,000 schools in Cebu and the rest of Central Visayas.