The Department of Public Works and Highways commenced the construction of a P10-million school building at the Tabaco City Northwest Central School in Tabaco City, Albay with a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, November 16.
THE DPWH-Region 5, DepEd-Tabaco City Division, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon, and officials of Tabaco City Northwest Central School break ground for a P10-million school building on Thursday. (Niño N. Luces)
The event was attended by representatives of DPWH-Region 5, officials from the Department of Education (DepEd)-Tabaco City Division, and the faculty of the Tabaco Nortwest Central School, with Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Jil Bongalon as guest speaker.
The school building is two-story and has four classrooms that will answer the classroom shortage for learners.
Gerardo Blanza, principal of the Tabaco City Northwest Central School, said that the ground floor of the building will be used for instruction while the second floor will be used for library and the school's guidance office.
"Malaking tulong po ito sa amin dahil ito ang sagot sa kakulangan namin ng classrooms," Blanza said.
The school has at least 5,000 pupils from kinder to elementary and located at the business center of Tabaco City.
Bongalon said that the construction of the school building was funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) through the initiative of Ako Bicol party-list.
"I made sure that in my first year of term in Congress ito pong sektor ng edukasyon ay matulungan. At sa paraan po nitong pagbibigay ng pondo for the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of school buildings dito sa kabikolan," Bongalon said.
Bongalon added that the budget for the construction of the typhoon-resilient school building is part of the P100-million fund that Ako Bicol secured for the for the construction and rehabilation of schools buildings in Albay.
"Marami pang mga schools buildings na ire-rehabilitate. Mostly sa mga coastal islands tulad ng San Migual Island and other areas in the province of Albay. This is because of series of typhoons na dumaan noong nalakipas na mga taon. This is actually one of the priorities ng Ako Bicol party-list through the effort of our chairman, House Appropriation Committee chair Zaldy Co," he said.