Datu Wali Mission School Transportation Ends This is the last week that we will provide free school transportation for village children, a service we were privileged to provide for six years. There have always been risks in transporting up to 100 children at a time (but usually 60 or less) in a 3.5 ton truck designed for cargo. We installed bench seats, guard rails, a tarp to shield kids from sun and rain, steps to facilitate entry/exit, and we hired men to supervise riders to keep them as safe as possible. There have been perilous trips through flooded rivers, alongside crumbling hillsides, and between mountain avalanches. We helped maintain roads in Wali and New La Union to make the trip as risk-free as possible. No damage or injuries…EVER. Our tires have been spiked and ice—picked too many times to count by motorcycle and side-car drivers who felt our free transportation was reducing their profits off the backs of the poor. Yet, recent developments force us to conclude that our risk-taking is no longer viable. In the last year, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of young children being allowed by the PNP and Wali Barangay officials to operate motorcycles and even cars. We have had numerous near-misses with children on motorcycles who are not mature, skilled, large, or strong enough to handle a motorcycle properly. Our dare-devil society enhances the danger because few people believe life is valuable, especially their own. Avoiding a collision in a large truck full of children, puts many at risk of injury and I am not willing to see a young motorcyclist’s head go through the windshield or under the truck due to their irresponsible behavior. A Wali child recklessly operating a motorcycle on Monday nearly collided with the truck, which would have killed him had we not stopped in time. So, with regret, we stop. Sadly, some children may quit school because they cannot afford to get there. Some families may have to forego one meal a day to pay a motorcycle driver to take their kids to school. We must leave that to them and God.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 03:51:17 +0000
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