Students in a remote village in Nueva Vizcaya cling to steel cables, or what remains of a bridge damaged by typhoon, just to reach school.

These students, who attend Pinayag National High School in Sitio Macdu in Barangay Pinayag, Kayapa, brave the broken bridge in Barangay Latbang, where Super Typhoon Pepito destroyed the structure in November 2024.

What remain are a few dangling cables over a river.

Their school is considered one of the “last mile” schools in the province due to its remote location in the mountains.

Many students walk for hours, half a day in some cases, just to attend class, especially when it rains.

“'Yung school po namin, Sir, remote po talaga siya, one of the last mile schools ng province of Nueva Vizcaya. Yung layo po ng school namin doon sa tahanan o lugar ng mga bata na tumawid doon sa ilog, pag-lalakarin mo makukuha mo talaga 'yung kalahating araw, more than pa nga pag umuulan,” Teacher II Glory Madawat-Smith told GMA Regional TV News.

A team is set to visit the site on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, to assess the river crossing after several resolutions were submitted to the provincial government, according to Madawath-Smith.

But beyond the broken bridge, students face another pressing challenge: the lack of a safe place to stay near the school.

“Marami pa pong kailangan ang mga bata, aside po sa tatawiran o tulay... Dito sa Pinayag National High School ang isa sa problema namin [ay] boarding house. Minsan nawawalan ng boarding house ang mga bata o kaya'y wala silang tinitirhan na matino... kaya isa sana sa hinihiling namin ay yung magkaroon ng dorm, kasi dumadami po yung students namin, yung dormitory po sana para sa mga bata,” Madawat-Smith said.

One student currently stays with a teacher. Others rent small rooms from families living near the school. But these arrangements are often unstable. Some students are left with nowhere comfortable or secure to sleep.

“Yung ilan sa kanila nagbo-boarding house sa mga bahay-bahay ng mga community... 'yung isa dun sa tumawid nakikitira siya doon sa isa sa mga co-teachers namin dito," Madawat-Smith said.

As more students from far-flung sitios and barangays enroll at Pinayag National High School, Madawat-Smith hope for the construction of a proper dormitory that would offer not only shelter but also a safe environment for learning.

"Sana mabigyan kami ng dormitory para sa mga bata, kasi karamihan po sa mga estudyante namin dito galing talaga sa ibang sitio, ibang barangay, problema po yung titirhan nila,” she said.

For now, every day is a test of will and faith, for the students clinging to cables, for the teachers welcoming them, and for the community hoping that help will finally come.

"Sana mabigyan ng agarang aksyon, malagyan ng mas matibay na hanging brigde para po sa mga bata at farmers na rin po," Madawat-Smith said.

As one teacher put it, the children aren’t just crossing a river merely, they’re crossing barriers of poverty and distance, holding tightly to the dream of a better future, because to those students “ang edukasyon ay hindi lamang silid-aralan at guro. Ito’y sakripisyo, lakas ng loob, at isang pangarap.”