Teachers Double as 'River Rangers' to Ensure Student Safety Amid Bridge Construction in Zamboanga del Sur

PAGADIAN CITY, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR, Philippines — While waiting for the completion of a government-funded bridge, teachers at Pisompongan Integrated School in Midsalip, Zamboanga del Sur, have taken on an unusual assignment: serving as “river rangers” to ensure the safety of students crossing a swollen river on their way to school. School principal Gideon Goc-ong said seven teachers have been designated as river rangers under the school’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management contingency plan. Their task is to accompany pupils across a makeshift crossing fashioned from a steel sheet pile that was washed away by recent flooding at the bridge construction site and repurposed as a temporary footbridge. The improvised crossing is used by about 100 students from Purok 4 in Barangay Pisompongan, who continue to traverse the river while a P60-million concrete bridge is under construction. “Children are accustomed to crossing even when currents are strong, so we assigned river rangers to prevent casualties,” Goc-ong told the Inquirer. The bridge is expected to eliminate the dangerous river crossing that students have endured for years. In the meantime, the school’s contingency plan extends beyond escorting children across the river. Goc-ong said eight teachers have been assigned as cooks to prepare meals when heavy rains make the crossing impassable, while another eight serve as night safekeepers, providing stranded students with mats, blankets and temporary shelter. Despite these efforts, the school lacks basic protective equipment for its teachers. “Since equipment was not included in our MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) this year, we hope donors can provide vests, boots and raincoats for our teachers,” Goc-ong said. The bridge project is funded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) through the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program. It was approved after Goc-ong’s video showing students wading through the river’s strong current on their way to school went viral in June 2025. In his 2025 State of the Nation Address, President Marcos cited Midsalip as among the areas urgently needing bridges and directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways and Opapru to inspect reported structures and prioritize their construction and rehabilitation. Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Divina Grace Yu initially pledged provincial funding for the bridge before Opapru confirmed that the project would be financed under the Pamana program. Then Opapru Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 1, 2025. For residents of Barangay Pisompongan, the bridge represents more than just infrastructure—it promises a safer journey to school for hundreds of children. Until it is completed in the coming months, however, Pisompongan’s teachers will continue serving as river rangers, standing watch each day to guide their students safely across the river. /cb