School gets easy water acces
School gets easy water access after 30 years
MATI, DAVAO ORIENTAL – For the first time in more than 30 years, the Pedro Malintad Elementary School has now easy access to safe drinking water, giving respite to the faculty staff and students who are now relieved from the exhausting work of fetching water from the old water pump outside the school.
Parents and teachers, during the turnover ceremony on Saturday, February 18, said they are pleased and overjoyed over the newly completed Potable Water System provided by the Provincial Government.
Situated at the scenic coastal village of Lawigan in the City of Mati, the project provides solution to the school’s age-old water problem as it ensures them allday access to water.
“I am truly overwhelmed of the government’s support for this project as it has made a lot of difference in the lives of the staff especially the children,” said School Principal Mary Ann Juezan, noting that the children now will not have to run outside the school premises to get water as there is already water running through the school’s faucets.
Anifel Lingatong, one of the teachers, said access to water is one of the many pressing challenges in their area which the government has been addressing.
“For more than thirty years, the school has never experienced an easy way of getting water. It was never easy for our pupils to fetch and carry pails and gallons of water, climbing up and down to where the water pump is located,” she said, saying that children have experienced hard time getting water as they have to fetch water in a pump located in a sloped area, which exposes them to accidents.
“There’s an uncontainable joy in our hearts because of this blessing that we received now,” she added.
The project was completed in less than a year from the time when the teachers requested it to the governor. Nearby communities will also benefit from it as a new hand-operated water pump has also been installed for the residents’ use, “even a five-year old can pump out water from it as it quickly pumps out enough water without exerting much effort,” she said.
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang upon the project turn-over said it is a testament of the Provincial Government’s genuine service for the people. “This project hopes to address the school’s urgent need which is water,” he said.
For the Governor, it is the government’s responsibility to identify the gaps of the communities that needs urgent interventions.
He also encouraged the Local Government Unit of the Barangay to come up with a sound Barangay Development Plan to identify the gaps and interventions in the different sectors in the community.