Education officials, leaders thank GMA, partners for the school buildings
By ROCAYA SUMNDAD OTICAL YAHYA
June 15, 2019
MARAWI CITY: Officials of the schools' division of the Islamic city of Marawi headed by Schools Division Superintendent Pharida L. Sansarona and Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Anna Zenaida Unte expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) and other partners for providing three school buildings to public elementary schools in the city.
Sansarona expressed their thanks and appreciation during the groundbreaking ceremony of the seven-classroom building for the Datu Saber Elementary School in Barangay Datu Saber here on Friday.
DepEd Undersecretary for Legislative Affairs, External Partnerships and Project Management Service Tonisito Umali, representing Secretary Leonor Briones, together with the GMAKF and the partners and prominent personalities held the groundbreaking ceremony of the seven-classroom building for Datu Saber Elementary School in Barangay (Village) Datu Saber here.
Umali expressed a brief message in behalf of Briones.
Quoting some statements from Briones, Umali said, “Every year, our country faces myriad challenges that test our strength and resilience as a nation… (like) volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, typhoons, but no matter what problems we face, we always wake up somehow in the next morning optimistic and ready to ace a new day.”
He underscored that in a situation like what befell Marawi which was devastated by a siege laid on it by terror groups, there is a need for the help of partners to stand up. “This is exactly what happened now,” he said.
He asked the school children present during the ceremony to help him thank the partners who have helped provide the school buildings for the education welfare of the children. “Foremost,” he said, “is the Embassy of Japan.”
Umali also mentioned such partners as UNITED ARCHITECTS OF THE PHILIPPINES- EMERGENCY ARCHETICTS (UAP-EA) represented by its chairman Architect Jose Miranda; MANILA WATER FOUNDATION Executive Director Reginald Andal; NKD INTERNATIONAL TRADING CORPORATION/LOTUS PHILIPPINES coordinator Eulogio Funcion; and ENVIROTECH president/CEO Winchester Lemen.
He also made mention of Lt. General Arnel Dela Vega, Western Mindanao Commander; TFBM Asec. Felix J. Castro Jr.; Lanao del Sur governor Mamintal ‘Bombit” Adiong represented by Board Member Abdulhamid Amerbitor; City Mayor Atty. Majul U. Gandamra; Barangay Datu Saber chairwoman Noraima Saber-Taurac.
Umali said special thanks shall be accorded to the GMA Kapuso Foundation represented by its executive vice president Ricky Catibog without which the school buildings would not be materialized.
The ground breaking ceremony was also graced by Assistant Secretary Alfhadar Pajiji for Special Projects and Programs of the Ministry of Basic Higher and Technical Education of BARMM, representing MILF peace panel chairman and Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal; Asec. Jim Sampulna, DENR Field Operations Officer, DENR National; Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua, Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy-BARMM; Director Abdullah Abubacar, DENR Region 9 Director; Forester Asnawi A. Dataman, CENRO; DPWH Honorato B. Saldua, Jr. Assistant Regional Director; Marawi City police chief PLt. Col. Thomas Pantaleon, Jr.; and newly elected City Councilor Ahmad Taurac, among others.
The school building is one of the three school buildings donated by GMA Kapuso Foundation (GKF) to public elementary schools in the city which was laid siege by the Islamic state-inspired Maute group in 2017.
The occasion was also attended by Datu Saber Elementary School pupils, Datu Saber Elementary School Teaching Force, OPCEN Operation Center, DRRMS Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Services, City School Division of Marawi, Men in Uniform led by General Romeo Brawner Jr., Major Palawan Miondas, Hijab Ladies and Datu Saber Constituents. (RSP)
