SEVERAL high school students in a remote village in Nueva Vizcaya are risking their lives daily just to get to school by crossing a thin steel cable stretched over a raging river where a bridge once stood.
In a viral video posted by concerned residents Crizon Tasin Attiw and teacher Glory Madawat-Smith, students can be seen carefully traversing the suspended cable at Sitio Macdu, Brgy. Pinayag in Kayapa. The concrete bridge was destroyed during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Pepito in November 2024 and has yet to be rebuilt.
The students attend Pinayag National High School, considered one of the most hard-to-reach public schools in the province due to its mountainous terrain. To get there, some students trek for hours, often for half a day during the rainy season, before even reaching the makeshift river crossing.
Because of the extreme difficulty, some learners have opted to stay in rented rooms or boarding houses closer to the school, according to teacher Madawat-Smith, who also appealed for government intervention.
Residents are calling on local officials to act swiftly and provide a safe, permanent crossing to protect children and ensure uninterrupted access to education.
