‘LALACOSTE’ GIFTS Students of a Midsayap school are proud recipients of leather shoes as graduation gifts from North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou “Lala” Taliño-Mendoza. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
KIDAPAWAN CITY—They stepped onto the stage to receive their diploma, but one thing stood out: They proudly wore uniform black leather shoes.
“These were given to us by the provincial government,” said one pupil, who was too shy to give his full name.
Beaming with pride, some of the graduating pupils at an elementary school here said in jest that they were wearing “Lalacoste,” a play on a popular brand of apparel and Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza’s nickname “Lala.”
On March 20, the provincial government of North Cotabato started distributing the particular type of shoes across the province’s 17 towns and this city for their graduation exercises from March 25 to 27.
Mendoza said this was the second year the provincial government distributed shoes for graduates.
This year a total of 43,893 pairs of shoes—26,884 for elementary and 17,009 for high school graduates—were handed out.
“At this time when money is the foremost concern of parents for the graduation of their children, it is but appropriate to assist them and at least lessen their burden,” the governor told reporters.
Mendoza said that like last year, when some 12,000 shoes were distributed to graduating high school students, the provincial government also allotted funds for the purchase and delivery of black shoes to the recipients.
She admitted that the shoe distribution was not easy because staff from the governor’s office had to go around schools to collect the shoe sizes of the graduating students.
“We did this as early as February this year to make sure that everyone will be able to receive the appropriate item and to avoid problems in the sizing of shoes,” Mendoza said.
Omar Obas, Cotabato schools division superintendent, described the shoe distribution as “practical and useful.”
“This is a sensible initiative … It also addressed the predicament of poor parents as graduation day nears,” Obas said.
Aside from graduating students, the provincial government also distributed shoes, umbrellas and raincoats to some 3,000 teachers all over the province.
Mendoza said these endeavors may be considered small things but “have provided valuable assistance to many individuals especially to poor families.”
“It is my desire to help out striving students finish their education and be able to help their struggling parents and eventually uplift their living conditions,” she said, citing other programs for students such as scholarship assistance. Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao