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For school children living in the city, school is just a short walk or a jeepney ride away.
But for the children of the mountain barangay of Buot Taup in Cebu City, attending class means wading knee-deep through a river every morning. And during rainy days, that means fighting raging waters that can take away a shoe or slipper – or worse.
Residents of the barangay have long asked the government for a bridge that vehicles and people could use to cross the river that serves as the boundary between Buot Taup and Bonbon.
The bridge is especially important for children of Buot Taup, who are mostly enrolled in the closest public school in Bonbon.
However, the city government does not consider a bridge between Buot Taup and Bonbon a priority due to limited funds, said Councilor Jose Daluz III.
Buot Taup resident Lorena Sumile said that ever since she was a young student at the Bonbon Elementary School, her parents had always asked City Hall for a bridge between Bonbon and Buot Taup.
Now 29 and teaching at the same school in which she used to attend, Sumile has yet to see City Hall move on their request.
“Dili gyud ni secure among agi-an padulong sa school.... Nabalik na lang ko diri sa bukid, wala gihapon (Our path to the school has never been safe.... I’ve come back to the mountains, and still nothing has changed),” said Sumile, who spent her college years taking up Education in the city proper.
During a particularly overcast day last Wednesday, Sumile, who is pregnant, crossed the same river she crossed during her childhood. With her books and lesson plans in hand, she accompanied students who were also attempting to cross the river at the same time.
With no choice but to get wet, students have learned to cope, covering their books and notebooks inside plastic bags before placing these in their backpacks.
While this spares their school materials from harm, it does not spare the children from potential dangers caused by the river.
Cousins Via Mae Taburnal and Mitchie Bacacaw, both grade 5 students, have learned to cross the river together to keep each other from being overwhelmed by the water.
“Naa nay daghan nanga dakdak dinhi. Unya giingnan ‘mi nga kinanglan ‘mi naay kuyog pirmi para naa ‘mi magunitan. Mao mag-ginunitay ‘mi para dili 'mi manga-tumba (Many others have slid and fell here. We were told that we should always have a companion so that we’ll have someone to hold on to. So we hold on each other so that we won’t fall),” Taburnal said.
Both girls are around four feet tall. But the river is known to swell to seven feet when it rains.
When worse comes to worst and the river is uncrossable, there is a foot bridge that spans the river, built some years ago. However, the bridge is ill-placed, far away from the populated areas of either barangay.
“Kapoy na kaayo hubo og sapatos, pero layo sad kaayo kung adto mi muagi sa bridge. Ma-late nalang mi (It’s tiring to take off our shoes, but taking the bridge would be too far. We'll just end up late),” said 13-year old Carlo Vitug, a 2nd year student of the Bonbon National High School.
FARM COUNTRY
It is not just the students who are inconvenienced by the lack of a bridge.
Buot Taup residents make a living on agriculture. As farmers, they rely on being able to sell their produce in the city propery.
But without a bridge linking Buot Taup to the urban areas of the city, transporting produce becomes a problem.
Residents have found that it is easier for them to travel to neighboring Talisay City and sell their produce there instead of trying to find a way to get to Cebu City proper. However, there is also another river to cross to get to Talisay.
But Councilor Daluz said residents should remember that in years past, residents had to cross seven rivers to get to the barangay. Now, they only have to cross one.
If residents needed the bridge so badly, barangay officials should have lobbied for it so that funds could be allocated for it, Daluz said.
But the councilor also said that in as much as there is a need to set up road infrastructure going to the barangay, City Hall does not have enough funds to accommodate the needs of all city residents.
He advised residents to take a dirt path to avoid the river regardless of how far it is instead of risking their lives by crossing the river.
Early last week, the barangay’s only dirt path was swept away in a landslide. Although authorities called the landslide “minor,” its effects were felt by Buot Taup residents since it was the only way for them to transport their goods.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council had planned to rent heavy equipment to clear a new path.
