A learner in Murcia town, Province of Negros Occidental is taking his way to school with the spirit of an adventurer.
El James Retiza, 12 years old, of Santa Cruz, an upland barangay in Murcia, uses a zipline to get to school quick, instead of walking.
He is a learner at Alberto D. Arceo Elementary School in Barangay Alangilan, Bacolod City.
Taking a zipline ride has become his regular mode of transportation. His father, Riqui, is with him in his daily trip to school. In fact, it is his father who secures his lifeline to the cable wire.
El James may seem to enjoy the speed of the cable wire as it saves him approximately an hour of walking to get to school , but he said it is no ride in the wind.
The line referred to frequently by many as a "zipline" is an agricultural tramline used as a hauling facility for farm produce, such as vegetables, from upland farms to the lowland.
The agricultural tramline was reportedly once a cable car project of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, but went out of order.
El James said clinging to the tramline to get to his destination almost everyday involves an amount of effort and difficulty. On top of the situation is the danger because he has no skull guard, gloves, among other protective gears.
He said he has to endure the situation to ensure his completion of grade school.
His determination to report to school despite living from a far-flung place earned the admiration of his teachers.
