Catmon’s New School Building A Monument Of Love

“A memorial of love.”

This is how Gov. Hilario Davide III depicted the new three-story school building of Catmon Integrated School during the turnover ceremony last Tuesday.

“This building is a memorial of love for our children. It will serve as a symbol of how we valued education, so we bequeathed them this gift,” Davide said.

Davide shared a story about his grandfather and namesake to illustrate the importance of education and the knowledge it bestows on individuals.

“My grandfather had never traveled abroad. Yet he went to the library and read books about geography, history and science. Because of what he did, my grandfather gained knowledge and panoramic view of different places without actually traveling them,” he said.

Knowledge is one thing that money can’t buy once an individual obtains it, said Davide as he encouraged students to pour in their best efforts to complete their studies.

Fifth district provincial board member Miguel Magpale said another key to success is cooperation and support.

He said parents should back their children up with their full capabilities, and teachers should push the extra mile to help the students achieve their dreams.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) partnered with the Cebu Provincial Government for the construction of the three-story school building with nine classrooms.

The Capitol gave P4.3 million while RAFI contributed more than P8 million.

Before, students held their classes in crowded classrooms of their old buildings while bearing the sweltering heat.

Catmon is one of the 10 LGU recipients of new school buildings from RAFI and Capitol.

Other town recipients include San Fernando, Compostela, Carmen, Daanbantayan, Barili, Sogod, San Remigio, Sta. Fe and Madridejos.

DepEd data shows that Cebu has about 270,000 high school students.

According to RAFI, more than a thousand classrooms are still needed to accommodate the current number of high school students.

The turnover ceremony was also attended by Catmon Mayor Dan Jusay and RAFI education development unit executive director Ernesto Alix.

By: Kelvin Canizares