Riding atop Kiangan municipality’s multipurpose truck, the group successfully delivered books to an isolated elementary school in Mappit. A total of 54 students from Kinder to Grade 6 eagerly received the reading materials that are composed mostly of easy to understand story books. School principal Joseph Dulawan mentioned that there are formerly donated foreign textbooks books “but the materials are so different from our curriculum that we can’t use them. The story books are more appropriate as additional reading materials and the students seem eager to read them,” he said.
A book reading and short parlor games was conducted by the donors to emphasize the importance of reading. Papers and pencils from the group Real Sons and Daughter of Ifugao (RSDI) were also distributed. Afterwards, Mappit Elementary school hosted the lunch of the group with a total of 20 individuals including police officers led by PSI Bert Kiblasan and PSI Patricio Allaga Jr.
Not only as escort, the PNP also joined the book drive to conduct awareness on government programs to students and teachers alike. Surprisingly, some of the children only saw a policeman for the first time.
The Haliap National Highschool has already built their own library but except for some textbooks, it needs more reading and research materials. School principal Clarence Binwag said that “they were hoping to have a complete library that can match other high end schools so that the kids can complete academically.” Books donated to the highschool are composed of their own request of computer books, story books, and basic writing books for the school paper’s writers.
Transportation to the Ayangan National Highschool was cancelled because of emergency operation by the 86th infantry so the donations were received by Antonio Humiwat Jr. at the Provincial Museum to be transported to the school at a later time.
There will be follow up drive to the previously mentioned schools once the group can accumulate the requested materials. Mappit elementary school is requesting for computers and Haliap National Highschool is requesting for encyclopedias and educational software.
The “Libro mo, Inspirasyon ko” was initiated by several online organizations led by SMILE Movement to help build libraries in isolated schools in the Cordilleras. Its aim is to help develop the school children’s love of reading that will help prepare them to the challenges as they go to higher years.
Donations came from groups and individuals with some elementary school teaching materials donated by students of Baguio City National Highschool led by Vialou Perez. Several boxes of books were also donated by ABS-CBN anchorman Dhobbie de Guzman. Other donors are e-Cordillera Group, Dianne Baluag, Shanery Tuazon, the Aliping family, and a cash donation worth 200 Euros coming from an individual who asked not to be mentioned. Other cash donations came from Bebsat tako and Aliping Family. Cash donations were used to buy more story books, for transportation and for food allowance.
Some bookstores also partnered with the book drive through book donations: Ukay-Bookay bookstore that is selling 2nd hand books gave several boxes of teaching materials, Precious Pages donated story books and Rex bookstore will be donating textbooks to be used for next school year. The textbooks will be delivered during the follow up drive to the above-mentioned schools.
The first book drive was on October 16 last year benefiting two schools in Benguet: the recently opened High School in Natubleng, Buguias and the Camilo Lucaben Elementary School in Kibungan.
The next book drive will be on March 11 with a school in Natonin requesting to be the next beneficiary. The “Libro Mo, Inspirasyon Ko” organizers is hoping to have enough books to give to more schools. The organization can be contacted through smilemovement.ph@gmail.com. Hotline number is 09072608888.
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