Tacloban City, Philippines – In a move that manifests the Administration’s thrust for participatory governance, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pledged to donate P35 million from the Presidential Social Fund to the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry in order to re-enforce its school building projects.
In a press release by Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region 8, President Arroyo commended the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry for being the longest and largest ethnic-based group that has remained so cohesive and united while thoroughly accumulating itself in Philippine culture and tradition.
“You have to put the money into building more elementary classrooms to reduce the current student to classroom ratio of 100 to 1 classrooms in one shift to 50 to 1 classroom in two shifts,” PIA quoted the President as saying.
With the donation, President Arroyo is tapping the Federation in implementing the country’s school buildings, aware of the Federation’s track record of constructing 4,000 two-classroom school buildings and 8,000 one-classroom school buildings.
President Arroyo, through Executive Order No. 284, also authorized the Federation to hold fund-raising activities for its Operation Barrio Schools Project. The Federation is targeting to construct 11,000 classrooms more for Filipino school children.
The Federation’s Operation Barrio Schools which is one of its major socio-civic programs, involves the donation of two classroom buildings in areas where classrooms are needed.
As the Federation’s flagship project, Operation: Barrio Schools is the longest running and biggest private-sector-led development program focused on educational infrastructure.
Under the Operation: Barrio Schools, the Federation raises funds to finance the construction of standard 7×14-meter two-room school buildings. These school buildings are constructed out of donations from the officers and members of the federation and from benevolent organizations, families and individuals within the Chinese-Filipino community.