Lifestyle
Taguig honor grads give part of cash prize to needy schoolmates
KIND GESTURE. George Lean Tizon, valedictorian of this year’s graduating class of the Ricardo P. Cruz Sr. Elementary School in Taguig City, on Friday (May 29, 2020) says he and his nine other classmates in the top 10 will donate part of PHP15,000 cash incentive to his SPED and PWD schoolmates affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Tizon hopes that their gesture will inspire others to donate to the needy amid these trying times.
(Contributed photo via PNA)
MANILA – Instead of spending it for themselves, the top 10 graduates of an elementary school in Taguig City will donate part of their cash incentives given by the city government to their less fortunate schoolmates.
Cipriano Bisco, principal of the Ricardo P.
Cruz Sr. Elementary School (RPCSES), said the students — George Lean Tizon, Joaquin Buico, Mikhail Santos, Anwar Alang, Daliah Alang, Rhian Jemel Brana, Nerizhel Heart Floriano, Carlos John Dela Cruz, Christian Nash Lobarbio and Tiffany Portia Sumampong, will specifically donate a portion of their incentive to the school’s 32 Special Education (SPED) and persons with disability (PWD) students who are in lower grade levels.
Tizon, the class valedictorian, said he decided to donate part of his PHP15,000 incentive to encourage fellow students to share their blessings to the needy.
“Nakikita ko po na maraming mas nangangailangan sa aming mga kababayan kaya sa palagay ko po kung makikita po nila na nag share ako ng blessing sa mga schoolmate ko na (SPED students) dahil hindi pa naman sila ga-graduate, baka po ‘yung mga mas may kaya sa buhay ay mag-share din po sa mga kapitbahay po nila (I noticed there are more people who are in need so I thought if others will see that I share my blessings to my SPED schoolmates who are yet to graduate, those who have more in life might start sharing their blessings to their neighbors),” he said in an interview.
All 13,440 elementary school graduates in Taguig City will receive cash incentives amounting to PHP1,000 each.
Meanwhile, the Top 1 and 2 students of each public school will receive PHP15,000, PHP12,500, respectively, while those in Top 3 to 10 will receive PHP5,000 each.
The top student of each section will also receive PHP2,500 each.
These rewards and incentives along with the diplomas of the graduating students will be delivered to their respective homes by the local government.
Meanwhile, all Grade 12 graduates will each receive a PHP1,500 cash incentive.
Meanwhile, the 750 students of the graduating class of RPCSES also got the chance to “graduate virtually” on Friday with the help of the four robots designed by the Taguig City Education Office and the Taguig Robotics Team, a group of Senator Renato “Compañero” Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School (SRCC) students that had won gold medals at international robotics tilts.
Cayetano said the ceremony is part of Taguig’s Safe City initiative, which helps the city undertake its programs with minimum health standards conforming with Covid-19 protocols.
“We know how deeply symbolic a graduation ceremony is for the graduates and their parents, that is why we came up with a program that can help them celebrate their accomplishments while respecting health standards and policies during the Covid-19 community quarantines,” Cayetano said.
The city held its first cyber graduation ceremony at the SRCC on May 22.
All four robots were operated via remote control to receive the diploma in lieu of the graduate, who instead watched the proceedings with his/her family via Facebook Live.
Toga-wearing robots received diplomas on behalf of the SRCC graduates.
The live videos of the graduates were projected on the heads of the robots as their names were called to claim their diplomas.
Footage of the graduates’ families was also displayed on the LED screens.
The ceremony featured four robots, made with recycled material will be replicated in Taguig City’s 17,000 graduates from its 24 public elementary and 12 other public high schools.
