CHILD’S ARTWORK OF APPRECIATION WARMS THE HEARTS OF BENECO LINEMEN
By: Laarni Ilagan, Photos by: Linda Piluden, Laarni Ilagan, Neil Ongchangco
Amid the long hours of power restoration following the series of tropical cyclones that battered North Luzon, a simple yet heartfelt gesture brought much-needed warmth to the weary linemen of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO).
A young artist, seven-year-old Shan Kenneth A. Aglano, touched the hearts of BENECO linemen with his handmade art piece titled “Warriors of the Light.” The drawing, created using recycled wrapping paper, colored paper, paste, and coupon bond, features linemen toiling in the field — a tribute to their silent heroism during the recent blackouts caused by Tropical Cyclone Emong and the southwest monsoon (Habagat).
Shan Kenneth, a Grade 2 pupil of Camp 7 Elementary School, found inspiration in photos shared by his grandmother, Linda Piluden, who posted pictures of BENECO linemen on social media. Seeing the images of workers braving the elements sparked the young boy’s creativity.
“His mom encouraged him to do the artwork so he wouldn’t get bored during the blackout in their area,” said Linda. Their neighborhood, located in Pias, Camp 7, Baguio City, was affected by outages along Feeders 11, 12, and 14. “Also, part of his lesson yesterday was about community helpers, and BENECO linemen are exactly that,” she added.
Linda proudly shared the artwork on Facebook, where it quickly made its way to BENECO’s internal employee group chat. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many linemen expressing how moved they were by the child’s recognition.
Lineman A. Boado said, “As a line worker, proud kami, makapaencourage ( as a line worker we are proud, it is encouraging).”
Known affectionately as Shanpot by his lola, Kenneth is the only child of Shari Rose and KC Aglano, Linda’s youngest daughter and son-in-law.
As BENECO linemen continue their tireless efforts to bring light back to homes, Warriors of the Light serves not just as an art project, but as a beacon of appreciation — a reminder that even in the darkest of times, the community especially children like Kenneth see and value their sacrifice. – Laarni Ilagan
