Graduation rites on despite fire
The high school graduation of Candulawan National High School will continue as scheduled today even after a fire hit their school last Saturday afternoon.
The 51 graduating high school students will be marching today after the 1 p.m. Mass at the barangay Candulawan Covered Court in Talisay City.
Last Saturday evening, the graduation ceremony of the Cadulawan Elementary School proceeded at 6 p.m. or four hours late because of the fire that damaged eight elementary classrooms.
According to the school’s officer-in-charge Vilma Mantua, since their area is just too small to hold the graduation ceremony, they will hold it at the sports center of barangay Candulawan.
Prior to the graduation ceremony, at 10 a.m, they will also hold the recognition rites for grade 7 to 3rd year high school at the same place.
Two classrooms were burned and one was damaged by the fire at 1 p.m. last Saturday, just after the recognition rites for kindergarten to grade 5 pupils was finished.
Mantua said that as of the moment, they prohibit students and teachers from entering the three remaining classrooms damaged by fire, pending inspection by engineers on the structural integrity of the concrete building.
Bacalso said 30 percent of the graduating students already arrived when the fire hit the school.
“Gipanghubo nila ilang sanina for graduation and ni tabang ug kuha ug tubig paingon sa taas aron palongon ang kayo,” said Bacalso who was very appreciative of the bayanihan spirit of the students.
(They took off their graduation clothes and helped in putting out the fire.)
According to SFO4 Allis-kasem Espinola of the Bureau of Fire Protection Province Division, no one was hurt. The damage was estimated to reach up to P500,000.
The fire was declared totally out at 1:50 p.m.
According to 34 year old Rofisa Cadayana, who lives across the school, they were on their way home after attending the recognition rites of her two children who are in day care and kindergarten when the fire went off.
She immediately called the fire department, fearful that it could spread to their neighborhood.
She said that because the road leading to the school is narrow, firefighters of Talisay City had difficulty in reaching the school. /Christine Emily L. Pantaleon, Correspondent
