ILOILO City – In a bold move to address long-standing classroom shortage and improve educational facilities for the growing Iloilo student population, Uswag Ilonggo Partylist, led by Cong. Jojo Ang, joined forces with Regional Chairman Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. for the ceremonial groundbreaking of multi-storey school buildings at eight different schools.
The groundbreaking event, held at Iloilo National High School, was graced by Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, Cong. Lorenz Defensor, Iloilo Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Ernesto Servillon Jr., Ma. Luz M. De los Reyes, PhD, and a host of principals and teachers from beneficiary schools. These significant projects represent a major step toward addressing the infrastructure needs of the region’s educational system.
The P227.3-million investment will fund the construction of new, state-of-the-art classrooms across several schools. Among the key projects unveiled were:
* Arevalo Elementary School – P23.5 million for a 3-storey, 6-classroom building
* Iloilo Central Elementary School – P23.5 million for a 3-storey, 6-classroom building
* Uswag San Isidro Elementary School – P23.5 million for a 3-storey, 6-classroom building
* Mandurriao Elementary School – P23.5 million for a 3-storey, 6-classroom building
* Hibao-an Elementary School – P23.5 million for a 3-storey, 6-classroom building
* Fort San Pedro National High School – P31.5 million for a 4-storey, 8-classroom building
* Iloilo City National High School – P31.5 million for a 4-storey, 8-classroom building
* Iloilo National High School – P46.8 million for a 4-storey, 12-classroom building
In his address, Sec. Angara expressed his gratitude for the collaborative efforts that led to the successful funding and implementation of these projects.
“I thank Uswag Ilonggo Partylist and all local partners for their tireless work in improving our educational infrastructure. This is a significant leap towards ensuring that every Ilonggo student has access to quality education in a modern, conducive learning environment,” said Angara.
He noted that one of the key priorities of the Department of Education under his leadership is to address classroom shortage.
In his speech, Ang acknowledged the support of Angara and the national government for the project to come to fruition.
“I thank President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for their support on all our projects for the Ilonggo people. We want to help our young Ilonggo dreamers succeed and we can only do so with quality education through facilities. Thank you also to the efforts of all our DepEd officials and principals for bringing quality education for our students. This is Uswag Ilonggo’s way of joining you in advocating for better quality of education in our country,” said Ang.
Aside from the eight school buildings, other school buildings in Pavia National High School and in the Province of Guimaras were also unveiled in the past months.
“Ang aton nga pagpatindog sang school buildings sa bilog gid ini nga Region 6, dala ang iban pa gid nga mga probinsya sang Western Visayas, para mas mapabakod ang aton edukasyon,” said Ang.
The Department of Public Works and Highways and the Iloilo City Government under Mayor Jerry Treñas are also part of the projects.
After the ceremonial groundbreaking and unveiling, the construction of the school buildings in their actual sites is expected to commence first quarter of 2025./PN
