While some students in urban areas take schooling for granted, residents here had to use their hands to build a road where construction materials for a school building would be transported.
Their efforts paid off and children in this fourth-class municipality are now holding their classes in a structure that is truly a fruit of unity among different sectors.
The military and private donors turned over yesterday the school building to residents and local education officials of the remote sitio of Yunot in Barangay Nasucob here.
The turnover was in line with the aim of the government to partner with private groups in improving poor communities’ access to basic services.
Maj. Gen. Carlos Holganza, chief of the Armed Forces National Development Support Command (NADESCOM), said the project was made possible by the overwhelming support of the private sector, the local governments and the people.
“This is a dream that is slowly being realized in the collective quest of both the private sector and the government to genuinely serve our people, specially those in the countryside,” Holganza said.
Military officials who attended the turnover were led by Southern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, who represented Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr.
Other officers who witnessed the event were 2nd Infantry Division deputy chief Brig. Gen. Nestor Añonuevo, 203rd Infantry Brigade chief Col. Carlos Quita, 4th Infantry Battalion chief Lt. Col. Wilbur Mamawag, and 514th Engineering Battalion chief Lt. Col. Mario Enriquez.
The classroom is expected to benefit some 370 Mangyan students in Sitio Yunot and nearby villages. Before the completion of the project, students had to hold their classes in a wooden and bamboo structure that served as a makeshift classroom.
“The completion of the project will have a positive impact on us. Before, we had to call parents every now and then to repair our classrooms. It was very inconvenient for our pupils,” said Alicia Baruyot, a teacher of the Upper Yunot Elementary School.
“I hope my students would finish their studies so they would not experience hardships we experienced here,” she added.
Ariston Maming, head of the Mangyan Community Affairs, said the project would help them provide opportunities to poor yet deserving children.
For his part, acting Oriental Mindoro Gov. Homerlito Dolor said the school building changed their perception toward soldiers.
“Before, when our residents saw soldiers, they were afraid. Now, soldiers are armed with hammers, shovels and carpentry materials. They are helping us build a school building for Mangyans,” Dolor said in Filipino.
Sitio Yunot is a secluded area in Bulalacao town. Access to the town proper is difficult due the absence of a road for vehicles. Residents have to hike up and down the hills to buy their needs.
A one-way trip takes about four hours on foot and a little less than two hours on horseback or on a bamboo sled pulled by a carabao.
To deliver construction materials for the project, residents had to construct an access road. Since they lacked access to machines, residents relied on simple construction equipment like shovels and their determination to build the road.
“The parents of students and the residents helped each other construct the road. They were really determined to see the completion of the school building. They are supportive of their children’s studies,” Baruyot said.
The construction of the classroom started last April 14 and was completed last July 15.
Troops from the 51st Engineer Brigade and the 514th Engineer Construction Battalion provided technical supervision and skilled labor. The 203rd Infantry Brigade was responsible for the landscaping, while the 4th Infantry Battalion and ABS-CBN facilitated a feeding program.
Private groups and individuals provided services like water system and electricity connection and school supplies like books, blackboards, chairs, tables, and cabinets.
The private sector partners were ABS-CBN, Manila Rifle and Pistol Club, OB Montessori, Philippine Red Cross, Bato Balani Foundation, Julie Ann Ramos, and columnist Ramon Tulfo.
The project was implemented in cooperation with the local governments of Oriental Mindoro and Bulalacao.
The total cost of the school building and educational materials was P1.1 million, lower than the P1.2 million to P1.4 million standard cost of project with the same quality and dimension.
“With the success of the pilot project in Mindoro, more school buildings are expected to be built in different parts of the country,” said Maj. Emmanuel Garcia, NADESCOM public affairs officer.
(source: Phil Star)
