Lawyer Anwar Malang, ARMM Executive Secretary, turns over the symbolic key of the school building to Guiamaudin Madzig, of the Department of Education, during the recent inauguration of the two-classrooms constructed by soldiers and villagers in Maguindanao’s Rajah Buayan town. And the school builders pose for posterity.
MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 2, 2012) – Philippine troops and villagers have constructed a two-classroom school building on a remote village in the heart of the Liguasan Marsh in Maguindanao’s Rajah Buayan town where education is not easy the war-torn province.
Students have to walk several kilometers to the town center to study. Those who opted to enroll in the existing elementary school in the village have to make do what exist there.
The Bakat Elementary School’s four old and dilapidated classrooms cater for Grade 1-6 and students have to sacrifice because most of them have no chairs. And seeing the adverse effect of the present condition to the learning and well-being of the students, soldiers stationed in the area engaged different sectors and agencies in a series of coordination to build classrooms for the children.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the municipal government, including the village officials and the Department of Education (DepEd) and other stakeholders have agreed to help construct the two classrooms for the sake of the children.
In a show of cooperation and mutual support in the true spirit of “Bayanihan,” soldiers from the 45th Infantry Battalion, and villagers constructed the school.
The World Food Programme also contributed 45 bags of rice for the workers during the construction of the school building as part of their “work for food” program.
“The spirit of Bayanihan once again demonstrated and developed harmonious relationship among government and non government organizations, local and barangay leaders in providing better education to our children in our common aspiration to have a progressive community,” Lt. Col. Marvin Licudine, the local battalion commander, said.
Licudine said.
Residents also praised the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for its peace and development efforts in Mindanao. The AFP has completed a total of 1,790 peace and development projects nationwide from 2005 to 2011 ranging from school buildings, farm to market roads, health and day care centers, water system and electrification projects.
In ARMM area, the AFP is also set to construct about 200 core shelters in the coming months in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
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