The Bonifacio V. Romero High School (BVRHS) in Angeles City, Pampanga can finally replace their condemned classrooms after PAGCOR provided them with the funds to construct a new three-storey, nine-classroom building. Present during the groundbreaking rites for the new school building were (from left) Angeles City Councilor Edu Pamintuan, DPWH Angeles City District Engineer Tito Salvador, Barangay Pulung Cacutud Chairman Antonio Trinidad, Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr., Casino Filipino Angeles Branch Manager Redentor Rivera, BVRHS Principal Edgardo Nuñag, BVRHS benefactor Reghis Romero and DepEd representative Emerito Nicdao. Photo courtesy of Pagcor
MANILA, Philippines–Thousands of public school students in Malabon and Pampanga are eagerly awaiting the completion of more than 60 brand new classrooms which are being built through the funds provided by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).
The state-run gaming firm partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to construct multi-story buildings in several public schools under Pagcor’s “Matuwid na Daan sa Silid Aralan” project.
The recent beneficiaries of the project include the densely-populated Ninoy Aquino Elementary School (NAES) in Malabon City; the 108-year-old Pampanga High School (PHS) in San Fernando, Pampanga; and the Bonifacio V. Romero Memorial High School (BVRMHS) in Angeles City.
Pagcor said 32 classrooms will be built in Malabon City’s NAES while 33 classrooms are being built in PHS and BVRMHS in Pampanga or a total of 65 new classrooms.
With the “judicious use of funds and its huge savings,” Pagcor Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. said the agency was able to raise P7 billion for the construction of classrooms in public schools nationwide.
“Our management’s priority has always been to help our public school children. We know that many of them especially those coming from less privileged families have dreams of improving their lives by getting a good education for their children. Pagcor is helping them realize their dreams by providing them with spacious and modern classrooms,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Naguiat said that aside from constructing school buildings, the agency also plans to put up computer laboratories in public schools nationwide.
The recent beneficiaries of Pagcor’s project were relieved to get the timely help from the state-run gaming agency.
Dr. Marissa Cristobal, NAES school principal, noted that they only have 34 functional classrooms for their 5,573 students, prompting many of their students to attend classes in the school lobby, stage, library, or any other available space they could find.
The new building from Pagcor, once completed, will completely solve their backlog of 21 classrooms and “will in fact provide additional classrooms to be used as laboratories as well,” Cristobal said.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino L. Naguiat, Jr. (4th from right) spearheaded the groundbreaking and time capsule laying rites in Pampanga High School (PHS) to kick-off the construction of a four-storey, 24-classroom building in PHS, San Fernando City. With him in photo are (from extreme left) PHS Federated Alumni Chairman Conrado Pacla, DPWH Assistant District Engineer William Bustos, Pampanga 3rd District Representative Oscar Rodriguez, San Fernando City Mayor’s Office Chief-of-Staff Michael Sicat, Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Amelia Julian and PHS Principal Jennifer Cunanan. Photo courtesy of Pagcor
Grade 1 student Princess Palacios is just one among hundreds of students in NAES who are currently affected by the school’s classroom shortage. They are currently attending classes in the school lobby where small makeshift classrooms had been temporarily put up.
Only thin plywood and wooden planks separate three sections. This is the reason why Princess easily gets distracted.
“Hindi ko po maintindihan kung minsan ang tinuturo ni Teacher dahil maingay,”she said.
Fortunately, the learning condition of Princess and her classmates is expected to vastly improve once Pagcor’s four-story, 32-classroom building is built.
Malabon City Mayor Antolin Oreta, who graced the recent school building groundbreaking in NAES, related that although the city government is putting high priority on education, many public schools still lack classrooms.
“Malaking challenge ang migration ng mga bata. May dumadating at may umaalis pero mas madami ang dumadating kaya parating kulang ang mga facilities, teachers, classrooms and everything. Napaka-ganda nitong schoolbuilding project ng Pagcor dahil marami itong natutulungan…hindi lamang sa Malabon kundi pati sa public schools sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.
In the province of Pampanga, the school administrators of PHS and BVRMHS are likewise grateful for the new buildings that will soon rise in their school.
BVRMHS head Edgardo Nuñag said they can finally declare their 20-year-old dilapidated classrooms for condemnation.
Nuñag said the classrooms, which were built by the Mt. Pinatubo Commission for the use of students whose families were affected by the volcano’s eruption, are now unsafe for use.
Meanwhile, Pampanga Representative Oscar Rodriguez said the classrooms that will be built in his district would greatly help his young constituents.
“By having an additional learning facility, they will be able to perform better. I’m sure we can have more classrooms of this kind here in Pampanga with Pagcor’s generous assistance as their advocacy is geared towards education,” Rodriguez said.
As of January 2015, Pagcor said its school building project has already completed a total of 1,080 classrooms in 228 sites nationwide while 958 classrooms are still under construction.
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