Terrified student gets best news of his life
LINGAYEN–No one usually gets “picked up” in his residence by the police unless one is considered a suspect in a reported crime.
This impression was not lost to 16-year old Luigi Maramba when he saw a police car in front of his house in Barangay Poblacion, Mangaldan town on returning from an errand.
The policemen were indeed looking for him and upon verifying his identity, he was asked to join them at the police station for important information.
Shaken by the sudden visit, he left the house as he bidded. Neighbors who saw him go with the policemen wondered how a quiet diligent boy like him could be involved in a police matter.
At the station, the young man felt relieved when finally told he was brought in to personally receive the news that he had anxiously waited for in the past weeks from the provincial government.
Maramba, a graduate of Mangaldan National High School Special Science Department, not only passed the qualifying test given by the Provincial Scholarship Board but with a rating of 90 percent, besting other 635 examinees who applied for college scholarships.
But why did it take the police to do the search for him?
The young man, unlike most teenagers, could not be reached by the provincial government. He had no cell phone! Hence the communication network of the police had to be tapped to help locate him.
Maramba shared his experience when he delivered a speech during the awarding ceremonies held on June 12 at the Lingayen Resort Hotel where no less than Gov. Amado Espino Jr. handed the provincial government’s scholarship certificates to the to the new scholars.
“Hindi po kasi ordinaryo na may police car sa harap ng bahay” he said.
Moved by the young man’s humbling yet “terrifying” story, the governor quickly gifted the latter with a new cell phone after the ceremonies.
“Pangarap ko rin pong magkaroon ng cellphone,” he told the PUNCH.
In his emotional speech, Maramba said he had wondered if he could pursue his college education with only the Social Security System’s P1,600 monthly pension his mom receives owing to his father’s death. His father died when he was only a year old; his mom is a plain housewife and his elder brother is jobless, too.
“Humiling ako sa Diyos, sobra-sobra ang binigay,” his mom told the PUNCH.
Maramba is enrolled at the Don Mariano Marcos State University in La Union for a diploma in Bachelor of Elementary Education.
Meanwhile, Erlinda Fernandez, chief administrative officer in charge of the scholarship grants, credited Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Romero for having advised all barangay captains in his town to disseminate the word about the provincial government’s scholarship program, and led to Maramba’s chance at having a better life.
To date, the provincial government has a total of 369 scholars.
Scholars are expected to maintain an average of 85 percent for four-year courses, and 80 percent for five-year courses.#
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
