School supplies from Capitol to reach new areas, recipients

Recipients of free school supplies donated by the Cebu provincial government will now include schoolchildren in city schools divisions within the province in a bid to expand the coverage of distribution.

These city schools divisions include those of Mandaue, Toledo, Naga, Talisay, Carcar, Bogo and Lapu-Lapu.

“Bisan pa tuod og dili ni sila mga taga-probinsiya sa Sugbu apan Sugbuanon gihapon ni sila,” Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said.

Since she assumed office in 2004, Garcia said that her administration is only giving school supplies to provincial schools divisions in 44 municipalities. But this time, distribution will cover new areas.

Just recently, students of the Dumanjug National High School waved flaglets at the roadside to welcome Gwen and company for the first stop in the ceremonial distribution of school supplies for this school year.

Aside from the distribution of school supplies, Garcia also inaugurated a slaughterhouse worth P2.8 million donated by the Province to Dumanjug town.

Cebu 2nd District Rep. Pablo Garcia also announced of the construction of a community college in barangay Bitoon, Dumanjug; and that the Cebu Court of First Instance Cooperative will be donating a four-classroom building to the community college to be constructed this month.

Rep. Garcia appropriated P1 million for the concreting of the access road from the highway leading to the Dumanjug NHS.

The distribution of school supplies is a promise made by Gwen in a bid to assist schoolchildren in the province to perform better in school.

The governor also asked the recipients to study hard and support the recently-launched expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures (GWEN) program.

 Aside from planting 10 jackfruit saplings each, schoolchildren are also encouraged to plant sweet potatoes in their school garden in support to the province’s “Sinanduloy Alang Sa Kabusog, Sinanduloy Alang sa Kahimsog (Saksak) program.

Further, the governor announced that they are already laying the groundwork for the construction of 146 two-classroom buildings equivalent to 292 classrooms.

In the past, the Province completed 71 units of two-classroom buildings or a total of 142 classrooms.

Meanwhile, the Provincial School Board which Gwen also heads, allocated P1,735,000 as financial assistance for the maintenance and repair of public schools in the province.

The amount will be divided among all public schools in the 44 municipalities and seven component cities. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/MEEV