45 public kindergarten schools to be built for DepEd

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 45 public kindergarten school buildings will be built for the Department of Education (DepEd) in the next two years from funds donated by the Aboitiz Foundation.

Jon Ramon Aboitiz, president of the Aboitiz Foundation, said the construction of the first batch of 26 school buildings would be fast-tracked for completion by June 13.

The remaining 19 school buildings will be constructed in 2012.

In partnership with Aklat, Gabay Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-Asa (AGAPP) foundation, an organization chaired by presidential sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada, the school buildings will be fully furnished and will come complete with textbooks, school furniture, training programs for kindergarten school teachers, and even school supplies for students.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Aboitiz, and Aquino-Abellada signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement for the Aboitiz Foundation’s financing of the school building construction, AGAPP’s commitment for the furnishing and the provision of supplies, as well as training of kindergarten teachers.

The school buildings are modeled after AGAPP Foundation’s Silid Pangarap project, which involves one-storey, two classroom school facilities in depressed and disadvantaged communities.

The donation comes in time for the DepEd’s implementation of universal pre-school education in the country which establishes public pre-schools and kindergartens in most of the public schools in the country starting this school year.

The universal pre-school education is the initial salvo of the DepEd’s ambitious K (Kindergarten)+12 basic education curriculum (BEC) program, which also seeks to add two years to the current 10-year BEC with six years of elementary and four years of high school, to a 12-year BEC with six years of elementary, four years of high school and another 2 years of senior high school.

Aboitiz said that the Aboitiz Foundation and other foundations of the wealthy Cebuano business clan have allotted about P534 million for philanthropic activities from which they will source their donation of funds for the 45 school buildings.

Mandatory inspection of school buildings pushed

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has pushed for the annual inspection of public and private school buildings to ensure their stability in the event of calamities.

Arroyo filed House Bill 4605, which seeks to mandate the annual inspection of all private and public school buildings in the country at the beginning of every school year.

She said the structural integrity of a school building and its fitness, including its capacity to accommodate the number of students and capacity to withstand earthquakes and typhoons and other similar natural occurrences, will be taken into account.

According to her, the bill is a preemptive and preventive measure to minimize, if not totally avoid, the occurrences of similar tragedies in the future.

She cited the Nov. 7, 2008 incident in Petion Ville, a suburb in the Hatian capital of Port-au-Prince, where the three-storey Evangelical Promise School building collapsed. At least 50 people died and hundreds injured and trapped in the rubble for days.

She also mentioned the tragedy at the Central Colleges of the Philippines in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija during the July 1990 earthquake and the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit China’s southwestern province on Sichuan last May 12, 2008.

Under the bill, the mandatory annual inspection shall be conducted yearly by city or municipal engineers and building officials within these areas at least 45 days prior to the start of every school year.

The bill mandates the city or municipal engineer and building officials to submit a comprehensive report disclosing their findings and recommendations.

Under the bill, concerned officials who refuse to act on the report or recommendation shall suffer a jail term of six months to two years and a fine ranging from P10,000 to P100,000 or both, at the discretion of the court, plus perpetual disqualification from holding public office. 

Prices of school supplies to go up

Meanwhile, prices of school supplies are now lower than the government’s suggested retail price (SRP) but are expected to go up next week as school opening nears, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in a press statement.

“The Department will further intensify its market monitoring operations to ensure adequate supply and stable prices,” DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo said.

DTI, DepEd and Manila City Hall officials jointly inspected the prices, supply, and quality of school supplies in Divisoria, the bargain capital in Metro Manila where most school supplies may be bought at lower prices.

Aside from the prices, DTI also inspected the quality and proper labeling of school supplies. Under the Consumer Act of the Philippines or Republic Act 7394, manufacturers and distributors are required to comply with minimum labeling requirements, which include the name and address of manufacturer, trade or brand name, type or size of product, country of manufacturer, quantity, toxicity warning and instruction for use.

Vendors who consulted with the visiting officials assured them of stable prices even when the opening of classes draws near due to oversupply, DTI said.

DTI Consumer Welfare Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya said they have published the SRPs of selected school supplies in newspapers and in the DTI website to guide consumers on their purchases and alert retailers to sell within the published SRPs.

SRPs are issued by manufacturers to retailers to ensure market share and fair competition in the market. These guide prices include production cost, distribution cost, and profit margins of retailers and distributors.

“There are several options in the market to fit one’s budget and/or specific needs. We are providing consumers with proper information simply to guide them in making intelligent choices on their purchases,” Maglaya said. – Paolo Romero, Elisa Osorio