MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Education has awarded a P90-million contract to the National Federation of Cooperatives of Persons with Disabilities (NFCPWD) for the manufacture and supply of an additional 115,383 chair desks to selected public high schools nationwide.

The move was ?part of DepEd efforts to give the differently-abled sector of our society a chance to show their capability by supplying our requirements for high quality school furniture,? Secretary Jesli A. Lapus said.

The DepEd ?sees to it that these projects which are vital to the education of our children are contracted only to reputable organizations with established track records like the NFCPWD,? Lapus added.

The NFCPWD groups 12 differently-abled persons? cooperatives nationwide -- seven from Luzon, two from the Visayas and three from Mindanao -- specializing in the manufacture of school desks and chairs.

The National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons of the Department of Social Welfare and Development has certified the federation as the ?umbrella organization of cooperatives of differently-abled persons operating in the country.?

In the last 10 years, the General Appropriations Act has allocated 10 percent of the annual DepEd budget to the procurement of desks and chairs manufactured by groups of persons with disabilities.

The budget for the procurement program now totals P900 million.