MOA signed for school rehabilitation project

CEBU - The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) signed yesterday afternoon a memorandum of agreement with different towns and the Department of Education on the second batch of recipient schools for Phase II of its school rehabilitation project.

“We all know the value of education but it is a serious business that we need to get it right,” said RAFI president Roberto Aboitiz before the signing of the MOA with the local chief executives of different towns and the DA officials.

The first batch of Phase 2 of the project covered 50 classrooms in 13 schools from Samboan, Alcantara, Badian, Argao and Barili. In this phase, RAFI prioritizes public elementary schools that were partially covered or not covered at all under Phase 1.

Aboitiz said the project aims to provide a safe and conducive learning environment to the children by repairing old and dilapidated public school buildings.

Thirteen public elementary schools from the five towns - Medellin, Oslob, Alegria, Ginatilan and Daanbantayan - will comprise the second batch of schools for Phase II, which is a total of 40 classrooms are to be repaired.

For the rehabilitation of 13 schools, the RAFI will provide the construction materials needed amounting to around P7 million. The local government units, on the other hand, will secure funds as labor counterparts.

The town of Medellin will be spending around P700,000; Oslob, P300,000; Ginatilan, P660,000; Alegria, P170,000; and Daanbantayan, P200,000.

The School Rehabilitation Project - which is a tie-up between RAFI, DepEd Cebu Province Division, LGUs, school officials and Parents-Teachers-Community Associations (PTCAs) - has already resulted in the rehabilitation of 255 classrooms in 75 schools from 22 municipalities across the province.

It has benefited around P100,000 students all over the province. RAFI allocated 30 million for the materials while the LGUs raised about P9 million for the labor cost. — Garry B. Lao/LPM (THE FREEMAN)