Holiday gifts to poor students: Free bikes

PROJECT LAUNCH Jeremy A. Cruz, principal of Banquerohan National High School, and Councilor Alan Rañola of Legazpi City during the launching of “Bisikleta para sa Banquero.” CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Students in the upland village of Banquerohan, 17 kilometers away from the center of Legazpi City will receive early Christmas gifts—bicycles to take them to school.

The “Bisikleta para sa Banquero” program was launched on Nov. 14 under the Helping Educate Less-Privileged Students (HELPS) project introduced by Jeremy A. Cruz, principal of Banquerohan National High School (BNHS). HELPS aims to financially support the malnourished students of the school.

“Our students really need help and I believe that schools should start the lead,” said Cruz, 44, an advocate of education and a two-time storyteller of the Inquirer Read-Along.

Students, mostly children of farmers, either don’t go to school or show up soaking when it rains, he said. Without any road access, many of them walk for at most 3 kilometers every day from their homes, some even coming from nearby villages.

About 60 percent of the 1,162 students of BNHS have been found to be malnourished. Describing the figure as “alarming,” Cruz said that if stakeholders were presented with realities, facts and figures, they would be inspired to help.

He sees “a culture of bikes in our school community and even in the southern barangays of the city where bikes will be a reason for their escape from poverty.”

Bisikleta para sa Banquero began with a simple dream, Cruz said. “When I won outstanding principal of Albay this year [the provincial government gave the award], I thought of sharing my blessings to at least two malnourished children by giving bikes,” he said.

He shared his idea casually with a high school friend, Marie Llaguno-Quisumbing, who, after an hour, told him that she was already able to solicit pledges for 30 bicycles with the help of US-based Joe Matias, also a native of Legazpi.

After Cruz posted the “good news” on Facebook, more friends gave their commitment to give as many as 50 bikes. A former college classmate pledged P10,000 worth of bike railings.

Marlyn Perez, a former student of Cruz and now based in Canada, started to form a foundation for the bike project.

While he did not have a target of how many bicycles to give HELPS, Cruz said the outpouring of pledges was overwhelming. He assured donors that deeds would be provided to them for transparency’s sake.

On Dec. 18, BNHS students will be pedaling their way to school. Cruz said the project would allow them to use the bicycles until they graduate and a next batch of users is chosen.