The wrath of Super Typhoon Odette last December 2021 did not spare anything in its wake – be it homes, utilities, lives, or even schools, with roofs blown off and their foundations compromised. But, it brought a resurgence of resilience to the Filipino people; and, with the spirit of “bayanihan” in full swing, the Rotaract Club of Cebu took a significant leap in helping the community of Tagaytay, Can-asujan, Carcar City with Project Lawak-Saringan.
Rotaractors of the Rotaract Club of Cebu with IPDRR Remuel Coles (upper middle, right) and Mr. Kherby Eborda (upper middle, left) witness the signing of the Deed of Donation of the Grade 3 Classroom of Tagaytay Elementary School, Can-asujan, Carcar City, Cebu. IPP Anna Suzzane Miscala (table, left) and Dr. Alven Jay Abadiano (table, right) conduct the signing of the DoD documents.
Project Lawak-Saringan (Visayan: Classroom), is the Rotaract Club of Cebu’s first project in the Visayas funded through a District grant for Rotaract clubs (District Grant No. DG2460146), alongside Project Sew-per Nanay of the Rotaract Club of Central Butuan for Mindanao, implemented during the Hope-Creating Year, RY 2023-2024. This project brought necessary funding for repairing the Grade 3 Classroom of Tagaytay Elementary School – one of the last school buildings to be repaired due to a lack of funding.
The Rotaract Club of Cebu’s District Grant Management Team in a preparation meeting with Mr. Kherby Eborda (lower right) for the turnover ceremony of the newly-repaired Grade 3 Classroom of Tagaytay Elementary School, Can-asujan, Carcar City, Cebu. From upper L-R: Past President and Grants Chair June Anthony Doble, Immediate Past President Anna Suzzane Miscala, Public Image Director Zennoe Zabdiel Villanueva, and President Rolan Ramirez.
Through the collaborative efforts of the Rotaract Club of Cebu, under the joint leadership of President Rolan Ramirez, Immediate Past President Anna Suzzane Miscala, Past President and Club Grants Chair June Anthony Doble, Rotary Club of Cebu, with Immediate Past President Walter Cang, Immediate Past District Governor Rozanne “Twinkle” C. Gamboa, Immediate Past District Rotaract Representative Remuel Coles, District Rotary Foundation Chair Stephen Chian, District Grants Subcommittee Chair Jose Fortunato “Chi” Uy, Immediate Past District Rotaract Chair Enrique Andres, and Rotaract District and Global Grants Chair Carlo Impal, together with Tagaytay Elementary School’s Principal Dr. Alven Jay Abadiano, Project Facilitator Kherby Eborda, and the school’s Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), the classroom is now finally funded and repaired in just a few months leading to September 2024.
The Impact of Rotaract Club of Cebu’s Project Lawak-Saringan through District Grant funding of Rotary International District 3860, after Super Typhoon Odette, with photos documented in 2022 (left), and after the conduct of repair works in 2024 (right).
The turnover ceremony last October 12, 2024, was conducted with Rotaract Club of Cebu’s IPP Miscala and IPDRR Coles, together with the club’s officers and members, officially signing the Deed of Donation to the City of Carcar with Mayor Mario Patricio “Patrick” Barcenas, and Tagaytay Elementary School’s Dr. Abadiano, Mr. Eborda, faculty, students, and PTA.
The unveiling of the District Grant project marker (left), and the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly-repaired Grade 3 Classroom of Tagaytay Elementary School, Can-asujan, Carcar City, Cebu, conducted by Dr. Alven Jay Abadiano, IPDRR Remuel Coles, and IPP Anna Suzzane Miscala.
It brought together a community – teachers, parents, school officials, Rotaract Club of Cebu, and the Rotaract District Committee alike – celebrating the completion of the District grant-funded project. The midday showers over the mountainous community did not stop everyone from sharing words of gratitude and a bounty of mouth-watering delicacies for everyone to enjoy.
Rotaractors of the Rotaract Club of Cebu, with IPDRR Remuel Roles, DRRE Jacob Erm Jericho Dolino, and the Faculty of Tagaytay Elementary School gather for one big photo with the newly-repaired Grade 3 classroom in the background.
Capping off the celebrations of a successful District grant project turnover, our Rotaractors did not miss a beat indulging in Carcar City’s delectable lechon, ascending into Camari Hill – the highest point overlooking the mountain ranges of the city, and a visit to Thanksgiving at Simala Shrine in Argao, an hour drive from Carcar City.
