A very long Holiday vacation is over and here in the Philippines, students from different levels are already preparing for their School comeback later today.  Some of these students are excited to be back. They even posted some photos of them captured from their classrooms  and other statuses stating their excitement in going back to their beloved universities. But even though Christmas and New Year vacations have already ended, Students here in Cebu are not yet done as the fever for Sinulog 2014, the grandest festival in the country, has just started. FaceCebu.Net author has been seeing statuses in his Social Media News feeds stating some complains or unhappiness that Schooling is back. Are youngsters nowadays really that insensitive?



Don't they know that thousands (if not Million) children out there have no chance of going to school and suffered early labor to finance their families? Or worst, there are Student kids from other Countries who would risk their lives just to be in School - we even have this situation here in our Country.  Now check these brave Children from other countries.

Let's start from the mainland China, posted in Telegraph UK, Children walked along a narrow mountainous road just to be at Banpo Elementary School in Bijie, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo credit: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features )


Still in China, specifically in Gangluo County, Sichuan Province, Teacher Li Guilin helps children climb one of five rickety wooden ladders to reach their school on a cliff 2,800m above sea level (Photo credit: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features )


To get to school each day children living in a mountainous village in China have to cross a valley hundreds of metres deep on a rickety, homemade cable car. Villagers who live in Decun village in southwest China's Guizhou Province used to have to make the journey on foot, which took five hours, but in 2002 local man Hui Defang built a simple cableway. Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features


Zhao Jihong and her four-year-old daughter Zi Yi cross a broken bridge in the snow to get to school in Dujiangyan, Sichuan Province, China. Shawan village's only connection to the outside is a wooden bridge. However, this bridge was damaged by flooding, leaving it extremely precarious and leaning dangerously to one side. Picture: Quirky China News / Rex Features


In Pintu Gabang, Indonesia, check this boy climbs across a 30 feet flowing river  to get to School. (Photo credit: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media )


Still in Indonesia, A school child crosses an aqueduct that separates Suro Village and Plempungan Village in Java, Indonesia.The children decided to use the aqueduct on their journey to school as a shortcut, even though it wasn't made for people to walk on. Picture: Panjalu Images / Barcroft Media



In another Indonesian village of Sanghiang Tanjung, children living on the wrong side of of the Ciberang River has to cross a broken suspension bridge to reach the other side where their school is located. Faced with an extra 30 minutes' walk to cross via an alternate bridge, the children have chosen to undertake the precarious crossing of the collapsed bridge instead. Caption by amusingplanet.com Photo Credit: blogs.reuters.com





In Vietnam, dozens of young children from grade 1 to grade 5 swim twice a day across the river in order to get to school at Trong Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district. In order to keep the clothes and books from getting wet, the students put them in large plastic bags and tightly sealed while crossing the river almost naked. Caption by amusingplanet.com Photo Credit: eyedrd.org


In Nepal, Children use handcrafted bridges made with planks, improvised ropes and pulleys, without safety harnesses and double security restraint. Caption by amusingplanet.com Photo Credit: justgiving.com


In Columbia, kids from a handful of families living in the rainforest, 40 miles southeast of the capital Bogota, commute via steel cables that connect one side of the valley to the other. This is the only way to reach school. The steel cables are 800 meters in length are strung 400m above the roaring Rio Negro.  Caption by amusingplanet.com Photo Credit: guardian.uk


Finally, here in the Philippines, School children used an inflated tire tube to cross a river to go to a public school in Rizal province east of Manila, Philippines, on Oct. 12, 2012. Caption and Photos by nbcnews.com






Now, are you still complaining of waking up so early, taking a bath and even arguing with your parents just not to go to School? Seeing above photos, are we not fortunate enough? We should be thankful of what we have now and what privileges we are embracing as a student. What do you think?

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“I studied everything, study hard, but never topped and never became Cum Laude, Magna or Summa Cum Laude. But today, the topnotchers and honors of the best universities are my employees” Who do you think said those lines? Yes, others may not know but Bill Gates did. He has been so successful in his career and made a Mark in the society and to the Business World.

How about you, graduates? What are your plans for life? How can you contribute or I may ask how can you deliver a new YOU after this graduation and impart new skills or knowledge to the changeable society? I remembered when I was about to step off and excited to become an Alumnus of this Alma Mater. I was actually thinking of things, professions, courses and some other futuristic matters which excite me more in graduating from High School. At first, I was dreaming to become a Lawyer or a Doctor maybe but where do you think I ended up? I enrolled to a Technical school, at CITE to be specific. But is there any regret? I believe there isn’t. Because of CITE, I was able to be employed as exactly as 18 years of age. Because of CITE, I was able to develop skills and sciences which are not being discussed and tackled in Colleges and Universities. Because of CITE, as exactly as 18, I was able to witness and embrace the real World outside. But after CITE years, do I end up working and working and working? Nope! This Labogonian don’t stop dreaming. When I was taken into regular status at Timex Philippines, I took the opportunity and asked my manager a favor. I inquired, Sir “Can I proceed to take my Bachelor Degree samtang nagtrabaho ko?” My Manager with a surprising face responded, “Yes, pwede kaayo basta dili lang mabiyaan ang trabaho” And you know what? This Laboganon is the first IT Infrastructure personnel who graduated in Bachelor Degree while working. In other words, I was working and schooling at the same time.

So where is the contribution to our beloved Society? It is the employment, being a good citizen and be a partner to it. If you are to notice, the society we are part of is changing, in other words people are changing. Behaviours and some social relations change. You graduates can also be part of those changes – those good changes that our community must and should have undergone. Strive and do not stop striving. Fight and do not stop fighting. Dream and do not stop dreaming. Instead of shortening your hope due to some conflicts and circumstances in life, stand up and do what is necessary. Remember, we are a quality graduates of LNHS, therefore we should be a quality individual of this society.

If you may not know, life after this moment is not just a challenging one. It is slippery out there. Hindrances are everywhere. Competition is tough. If you won’t make it, you’ll surely fail. If you do the wrong turn, then you’ll surely head to a wrong road. But this isn’t a threat; this is a reminder that we should be careful and live life aimfully. After graduation, others may pursue their loved courses. Maybe some will take on their new uniforms and proceed to work or maybe others are thinking what will happen to them and just said, bahala na! It isn’t right, in any ways, continue to work and do it very hard to fulfill your dreams. Do it slowly but surely!

I would like to congratulate, not only our dear Graduates who are in one of their momentous event of their lives, but equally also to our beloved and devoted parents, who are in one way or another, always there for their children: for the encouragement and support for four years in the making, for making this commencement exercise possible for their children.

Let us also not forget our educators: for the school administration and to our dedicated teachers and mentors who serves as our foundations and pillars of our learnings; for inculcating both the right knowledge and information that are useful for our youth, and the values and attitudes needed for them to use these learnings in our everyday lives, thus leading to a transformed and better society in our generation today.

To the graduates, remember, the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

Kudos to this batch of graduates and good evening!

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