In another rare display of unity and volunteerism, Catigbianons trooped to the Central School grounds to erect 14 modular steel and board temporary classrooms for Catigbian National High School, in lieu of the ones which the October 2013 earthquake destroyed. The feat also enthroned town Mayor Virgilio Lurot into the pedestal as among the few town leaders who pulled out that much number of tricks to do voluntary work in a day. As classes started on makeshift classrooms as the quake ruined many of the public infrastructure in the public elementary school here, the need to immediately put up school buildings topped high among local priorities. But as the quake rendered several classrooms in total wrecks, others still in different states of disrepair, people have been awaiting the government's promised repair assistance funds. With classes starting, the people concerned of the children's education, found the building materials donation of the Taiwanese Tzu Chi Foundation's donation as the perfect opportunity.

And as the building materials arrive, people rolled their sleeves and laid their hands on the materials, intent on getting the rooms ready for the second week of school. And as planned, it was on June 9, the last day of the town's participation in the country's call for reliving volunteerism, when the materials arrived and were ready to be installed, remarked Ardissa Estavilla, who also sits as the town tourism officer after a stint as information officer. “We participated in the Bayani Challenge, a national movement to call for volunteerism, which the country desperately needs in the time of rebuilding after major calamities left a trail of destruction in the Visayas,” narrates town council secretary Estavilla. Earlier, Mayor Virgilio Lurot, who has seen the massive turnout Catigbianons gave in response to the call for selfless service to community and country as the Bayani Challenge opened days earlier, said his people would still do little acts of heroism, with or without the call.

We will continue to have volunteerism showcases, with or without the call for Bayani Challenge, the mayor was quoted. And as the Taiwanese Foundation positively identified the town as beneficiary for its earthquake relief program, pupils and student's parents had volunteered to make concrete bricks for the room flooring. While awaiting for the arrival of the construction materials made up of steel tubes, angle and flat bars including prefabricated building parts, the town thought erecting the buildings altogether in a day would be an awesome feat. And rousing around 1500 volunteers recipients form the country's Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, local officials, student volunteers and well-meaning individuals, the town put up the 14 school buildings, in probably the province's fastest-modular build. It took us less than four hours, Estavilla beamed as she showed a video footage of the buzz which was created when people started assembling and tightening the bolts to erect the building components. The volunteers also performed a mass dance using the Bayani Challenge Unity dance, with Mayor Lurot and Vice Mayor Rey Lacea leading the performance. It may be recalled that former Mayor Roberto Salinas also engaged the town in a volunteer work of paving the school sports oval grounds with carpet grass. The activity then, took them about five hours. (PIABohol/RAC)