A kind teacher prepared earthquake hard hats for her pupils in the Philippines.
Schoolteacher Elaine Jade Diolola and her husband handcrafted storage holders for the blue safety helmets beneath her pupils’ chairs at South Cembo Elementary School in Makati.
Footage shows the educator cutting elastic garters and attaching snap buttons to the white bands before securing them under the furniture.
She then placed each helmet in its holder after fastening the support straps.
“We had an online seminar after classes were suspended due to the flu outbreak and recent earthquakes. Before it began, our school head said rooms had been disinfected and inspected,” Diolola said.
“During the check, she noticed hard hats displayed outside classrooms. Our DRRM Coordinator advised that they should be stored under chairs instead of left in plain sight,” the teacher added.
“With the recommendation from our school head and DRRM Coordinator, we went to the school to take action. We asked one of the parents if they had materials like garter and snap buttons available, and luckily, they did. We purchased the materials and got to work right away,” she said.
“The recent earthquakes have been unsettling, and I didn’t want to waste any time in making sure our school is prepared. The hard hats were donated by the barangay, and I’m glad we could take the initiative to properly store them,” Diolala continued.
The teacher posted the video of her preparation on Facebook, garnering 34,000 views, 554 comments and 4,300 shares.
“If ever na dumating ang di inaasahan, sana bigyan ako ng super power na maprotektahan kayong lahat,” she wrote in the in-video text.
Several online users lauded Diolala for her initiative to keep her students safe.
“Yep sana lahat ng teacher ay katulad mo teacher Elaine Jade Casulla Diolola. Laging handa at nag iisip ng paraan sa welfare ng student,” a Facebook user commented.
“Thank you for loving and caring of the learner. God bless [you] ma’am,” another wrote.
Some expressed hopes that other teachers will also be given resources to provide safety kits for their students.
“Sana lahat ng teacher may budget tulad nya para magawa yan. . Gusto din naming tulungan ang bawat isa kaso kami mismo ang nangangailangan ng tulong pinansyal,” one wrote.
The Philippines has been rattled by a series of earthquakes in recent weeks, including a magnitude 6.9 tremor on September 30 that left at least 76 dead in Cebu province.
On Thursday, October 16, Surigao del Norte in the Mindanao region felt a 6.1-magnitude quake.
The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands inside the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where the majority of Earth’s volcano eruptions and earthquakes happen.
—With Rosette Adel; Newsflare via Reuters Connect
