Saturday, December 08, 2007
Councilor is Alay Lakad scholar
By Rene H. Martel
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
RENGELLE Pelayo, 17, has a vision.
She wants to devote her time to it for the next three years, when she sits as a Cebu City Council ex-officio member representing the youth.
She wants to help the young, particularly street children and out-of-school youth (OSYs), knowing how hard it is to have less in life.
“There’s a different sense of fulfillment that comes from sacrificing one’s personal life for the sake of others…. I know that being in the SK demands offering one’s self.
I’m not asking for anything in return. I want to be an instrument of change,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Rengelle’s father Rey, 50, is a self-employed electrician. Her mother Leoncia, 46, is a housewife who attends to their small eatery in the mountain barangay of Buhisan. She has a sister, Lora Mae, 12.
Serving the youth has become second nature to her, as she is the president of the Cebu City Confederation of Concerned Children, which was why she won as Buhisan’s SK chairperson.
Seeing she could do more, she decided to try for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation and earned the endorsement of the mayor’s wife Margot Osmeña, who shares her passion for the street children and the OSYs.
Whether or not it was the endorsement that clinched the post, Pelayo got 57 of the 65 votes cast in last Thursday’s election.
She promised she will not be beholden to Margot or Mayor Tomas Osmeña, making it clear that the youth are her only masters.
“I prefer to be called a public servant rather than a politician,” she said.
She said that political ambition was never part of her decision to take Glena Bontuyan’s position as SK Federation representative to the City Council.
She understands that there will be intrigues as part of the challenges, but that she will not waver in her commitment.
Coming from a family that barely makes both ends meet, Rengelle said she recognizes the need for her to help provide for them.
But, she said, her parents and her sister understand her passion and joy in serving her fellow youth.
“We talked about this in my family. My parents trained me to be independent, to make my own decisions. Ila kong suporta-ran sa akong dream (They will support me),” she said.
“I know God will give me time to pursue my personal dreams,” she added.
She is taking up nursing at the University of San Carlos Technological Center, but intends to just finish the second semester and shift to a different course in the next academic year.
She wants her next course to somehow fit in between the demands of her office. Otherwise, she would just sacrifice her schooling.
An Alay Lakad scholar since high school, Rengelle promised to work honestly and humbly, saying it is a privilege to get the opportunity to serve her fellow youth. (RHM)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (December 8, 2007 issue)
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