Pampanga Board Member Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab said close to 3,000 students and teachers in the province’s different public schools who suffer from poor eyesight have received free eye checkups and graded eyeglasses this November.
This is under the free eyeglasses for students and teachers special project of the Pineda family, the official said.
Pineda-Cayabyab said the program aims to assist students and teachers to make studying and teaching easier.
Pineda-Cayabyab said a team of ophthalmologists and nurses conducted eye checkups for students and teachers in 80 public schools in Pampanga. A total of 2,947 students and teachers received free graded eyeglasses from November 10 to 25.
The beneficiaries included 280 students and teachers from Bacolor South (10), 418 from Bacolor South (6), 237 from Bacolor South (1), 408 from Arayat East (16), 290 from Sta. Ana (2), 429 from Arayat West, 467 from Mexico West and 398 from Mexico South.
Pineda-Cayabyab is implementing the program as a special project of the Pineda family. The undertaking started in 2017 in Lubao town when she was still the mayor. Her family wanted to replicate the undertaking throughout the province, thus the launching of the free eyeglasses for students and teachers project on a province-wide scale.
“This is our way of repaying the trust and confidence that our Cabalens have given to our family. This special project is very close to my heart, having experienced staying longer in class to copy what was written in the blackboard because I had poor eyesight,” Pineda-Cayabyab said.
Pineda-Cayabyab said more eyeglasses will be distributed to students, teachers, and even non-teaching staff in some 500 public schools in Pampanga, as she highlighted the need to address the growing number of individuals who develop poor eyesight due to the use of gadgets and longer exposure to computer and mobile phone screens.