More chairs, desks seen from Pagcor-funded plan

BUTUAN CITY – The more than one million board feet of logs seized in the Caraga region in March would be used to make more school chairs and desks under a program funded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and other agencies.

The timber products, which officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had estimated to be worth P14.9 million, were seized during 159 separate raids by the region’s anti-logging task force.

Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. said the confiscated logs had been formally turned over to the city government.

Last year, Pagcor chairman Cristino Naguiat Jr. had linked up with the Department of Education, DENR and nongovernment organizations to convert seized logs into armchairs and desks for use in public schools. Pagcor had initially infused P100 million for the project.

In February, 1,900 of the armchairs were turned over to the Butuan Central Elementary School under Pagcor’s P-Noy Bayanihan Project.

The P-Noy Bayanihan Project, which started last year, aims to help address the shortage of school furniture in public schools nationwide.

In Tagum City, the Pagcor-assisted Care for School Chairs Program has inspired two Davao City-based members of Kaya Natin Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.

Davao City Councilor April Marie Dayap and former Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta volunteered in the making of school furniture as they lauded Naguiat for conceptualizing the P-Noy Bayanihan Project and local officials for implementing it to the letter.

Pagcor earlier set aside P1 billion for the construction of 100,000 classrooms in remote areas.

In March last year, Pagcor turned over five kindergarten classroom-buildings to the Compostela Valley government.

The classroom-buildings, which cost P550,000 each, were built through the Gawad Kalinga.

Pagcor said it would continue to work with the Compostela Valley government, under

Governor Arturo Uy, to attain zero backlog of classrooms by 2015 in the province.

The goal is a year ahead of the national goal of zero backlog in classrooms.

In a statement, Naguiat said the funding for the school-building project came from a huge decrease in Pagcor’s operational expenses since he took office. Inquirer Mindanao