LCP Peaches T. Pasion
RC Pasay Cyber City
A Grade 10 student of Pugad Lawin High School in Quezon City, Ryan Chico must walk to a nearby Pisonet Computer Shop and line up for hours to join his online class every day. Amidst the health precautions, he has no choice but to attend his class with the other students in an enclosed computer shop to pursue his studies.
Due to the economic setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryan’s family understandably prioritizes the basic needs first: food, shelter, and health, for them to survive daily. With the current educational system condition, learning has become more challenging for families with minimum income since studying now requires the internet, computers, and smartphones.
To students like Ryan, the hopes of fulfilling their dreams of graduating and landing a job someday cling on to the only access they can afford, the Pisonet Computer Shops. For them, learning and finishing school outweigh their fear of getting infected by the virus.
This story of Ryan Chico served as enlightenment for my club and for me. It inspired me to gift him the educational kit to help him attend his online class while being safe from getting the virus. I sponsored Ryan Chico with a new laptop, Wi-Fi modem, and data load, which will be of great use to him and other family members.
Many of them share the same challenges and the same determination to continue schooling. Many more are waiting for us to bring light to their torches of hope.
Taking inspiration from RI President Shekhar Mehta, let us inspire them to do more, grow more.