Payatas Elementary School in Quezon city. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—A public school in Quezon City may soon be named after the late movie icon and 2004 presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr.
This after district 2 councilor Precious Hipolito-Castelo proposed an ordinance renaming the Payatas B Elementary School Annex to “Fernando Poe Jr Elementary School.”
Castelo, in the draft measure, pointed out that naming the school after Poe would perpetuate his memory as “the most influential Filipino actor of all time.”
Poe, more popularly known as “Da King” or “FPJ,” was formally declared and conferred an award as a national artist on July 27, 2012.
Castelo called Poe a Filipino icon from the film industry and lauded the late acting great for bringing honor and prestige to the country. She also cited Poe’s remarkable but low-key commitment to charitable works, “which won him respect and admiration.”
According to the councilor, “All the teaching staff, administrator, personnel, parents and pupils, as the whole community of Barangay (village) Payatas and other nearby villages, firmly believes that it is high time for the school to be a separate and distinct institution and shall be renamed Fernando Poe Jr Elementary School.”
Payatas B Elementary School Annex is located along Roberto Street in Barangay Payatas and has been in operation for 12 years, providing basic primary education to pupils mostly from depressed communities.
As of school year 2014-2015, enrollment in the school is at 1,266 with 14 classrooms and 29 teachers.
Apart from renaming the school, Castelo proposed that “Payatas B Elementary School” be a regular and independent public elementary school, completely separate from its mother school.
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