Antipolo City bags Literacy Award anew

For the second straight year, Antipolo City has bagged the National Literacy Award.

No less than President Arroyo handed the award to Antipolo Mayor Angelito Gatlabayan during simple ceremonies held at the Leyte Park Resort and Hotel in Tacloban City last Sept. 5.

Antipolo City was the first runner-up in 2001. It also achieved Hall of Fame status in the Southern Luzon level.

The Literacy Awards, initiated by the National Literacy Coordinating Council (NLCC), is held annually to coincide with Literacy Week (Sept. 3-5).

This year’s theme, "Functional Literacy: A Tool for Poverty Alleviation and National Solidarity Toward a Strong Republic," focused on efforts to alleviate poverty by identifying grassroot initiatives which address cultural diversity and improve learning and knowledge acquisition.

Antipolo City’s literacy campaign this year focused on sustaining ongoing projects and strengthening the literacy campaign at the barangay level.

For 2003, Gatlabayan allocated P136,997,618 as special education fund, of which P710,000 was earmarked for non-formal education honoraria.

Among the listed priority projects this year include the non-formal education of the Dumagat community and disadvantaged groups like out-of-school youths, senior citizens and street children, and the Project Bagong Laya.

Other projects set to be launched are those targeted at other sectors such as tricycle drivers, as well as the Kapatiran, Pag-asa sa Likod ng Rehas, Paglitao, Zone 17, Dalig Literacy classes and Special People Inc.

To encourage reading among residents and students to sustain the literacy campaign, the city government has established the city library, community reading centers and a mobile library.

This year, Antipolo City recorded a 98.9 percent literacy rate.