Seventeen-year-old Mark Anthony Sangranes, an 11th grader in Bulata, Cauayan, Negros Occidental has been working hard as far as he can remember.
He grows flowering plants so that he can have money to buy his school needs. “My father is jobless and my mother left us,” he said. He is the fourth among six children.
But what makes it harder for him at school and at home is the fact that he has a congenital defect – he has deformed fingers on his right hand. “My friends call me ‘Ping’, short for ‘kumping’ because of my physical disability,” he said.
I might have a deformity but I don’t consider it an obstacle in my dream to become a broadcaster someday. After all, he added broadcasters use their voice, not their hands.
Mark Anthony is one of the recipients of the third-quarter 4Ps (Pagbulig sa Pagtuon, Paghatag sang Paglaum) promotional campaign of Aksyon Radyo Bacolod (DYEZ) designed to provide indigent students with a mobile phones they can use in their studies under the Blended Learning approach in keeping with the distance learning thrust of schools during the coronavirus pandemic.
Nona Magbanua, DYEZ station manager, said the 4Ps promotional campaign reflects the commitment of the station to help students from marginalized families deeply affected by the pandemic to continue their studies by providing them gadgets they can use for their learning processes.
The recipients – three each in the tertiary, secondary, and elementary levels – received a Samsung A11 phone. They were chosen from among nearly 100 students who wrote essays about their lives and why they deserved to be a recipient of the gadgets.
Project Director John Diaz said the winners were chosen by a panel composed of station officials and personnel.
The phones were delivered by the Aksyon Radyo team to the winners’ respective homes.
The winners in the collegiate level are Andrea Armonio, 18, of Bago City, a Psychology freshmen; and Leona Grace Laparan, 20, of Barangay Pandanon, Don Salvador Benedicto; and Lindsay Monsanto, of Barangay San Miguel, La Carlota City, both education sophomores. The three recipients are all students of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College in Talisay City.
Andrea’s parents both work in the fields and, at times, Andrea has to rely on help from neighbors and relatives so that she can continue her studies.
Leona Grace, in her essay pointed out that the pandemic has brought difficulty to both teachers and students. Keeping her optimism, she said, “I never give up even if things don’t come easily, reminding her fellow students not to complain too much, and, instead, find ways to overcome these trials”.
Leona Grace recalled that she and her siblings have to walk two kilometers to charge their mobile phone which easily drained because it was an old model. “Thanks, now I have a new phone and I don’t have to walk that far everyday,” she further said.
Lindsay, on the other hand, finds enough motivation now with her new gadget saying “I hope that through this phone, I can pursue my dream of becoming a teacher and alleviate the condition of my family, including my sickly father, who is a construction worker.”
“Life can be sad but I know we can make dreams come true and overcome all these difficult situations,” Lindsay said.
“Our new phones have been a great help to us, especially in research work, so that we can accomplish our module requirements with quality and submit them on time,” the two CHMSC students said.
With Sangrenes in the high school level are Nealyn Aurelio of Barangay Bacong, Bago City; and Roy Vincent Piadoche, 18, of Barangay Tangub, Bacolod City.
Nealyn is hopeful that her new phone will help her in her studies since no one at home can help her in accomplishing her modules because her parents can hardly understand her lessons. Not even walking 30 minutes to and from school in her mountain village prior to the pandemic can discourage the girl from continuing her studies. She would be fortunate to have P10 for her allowance daily, her cousin said and she had to bear the hunger at school by eating boiled bananas and ‘alupi’.
Roy Vincent, on his part, said: “My mother is my source of inspiration. She is a single mom and she works hard by gathering shells so that we can have food to eat.” Roy Vincent serves as an acolyte in a nearby monastery.
In the elementary level, the recipients are Crispen Henry Infante, 12, of Barangay Cabug, Bacolod City; Virly Deguit, 10, of Barangay Pinaguinpinan, Kabankalan City; and Gladys De la Cruz, 10, of Barangay Magsaysay, Cadiz City.
Mark Anthony reiterated: “Thanks to DYEZ, I don’t have to borrow cellphones anymore nor spend hard-earned money in the computer shop,” adding he can now submit all his requirements before deadline unlike in the past that he could do only half of his performance task because of limited access to research and information.
We are privileged to share our blessings with those who badly need help so that they can pursue their dreams, the DYEZ station manager said. – DEM
