517 indigent students graduate from school

This year, 517 of the children sent to school by the city's Task Force on Street Children graduated from elementary, high school and college, eight of them graduated with honors.

The task force and benefactors of the program honored the graduates and the latter's families in a special ceremony at the Metropolitan Cebu Water District Auditorium. A thanksgiving Mass opened the ceremony.

Of the 269 who graduated from elementary, Jessa Baguio and Allet Mary Teves finished with honors under the care of the Nazareth Children's Center. Also, four of the 158 who graduated from high school finished with honors. They are Aldalyne Basallo and Welfe Cualbar of ACG Foundation Incorporated, Jovie Montillano of Dangpanan Children's Center, and Jeffrey Aduaba and Rene Boy Lebores of Share-A-Child Movement.

Lebores graduated valedictorian.

Of the 69 college graduates, Flora May Pulgar and Juvinal Taboada who were under the care of Lihok Filipina, finished their BS Hotel and Restaurant Technology course Cum Laude from the Cebu State College of Science and Technology.

Addressing the graduates, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said: "You have reaped the fruits of your labor. We are so proud of you. When we started this program, we never expected that time will come that we will have 517 graduates."

"At first, we were hesitant that you will qualify in college and you proved us wrong. We are very proud of you. Hopefully, in time, you will also help those who will be needing your help," Osmeña also told the college graduates.

In one of his regular press conferences, Osmeña told reporters he is considering absorbing the two Cum Laude graduates into his Mayor's Management Team. If this pushes through, Pulgar and Taboada will be joining other Cum Laude graduates whom the city government hired to initiate changes in the system.

The 22 agencies under the task force and other benefactors have sent hundreds of children from indigent families and the urban poor for free. - Joeberth M. Ocao