Mayor orders aid for 5 'adopted' schools in Barotac Nuevo stopped
A Department of Education (DepEd) and private sector collaboration in the Municipality of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo benefiting some 1,200 schoolchildren has been stopped.
In fact, doors have been seemingly slammed on the donors who have since worked for an extensive assistance in over a year now. As such, in peril are the distribution of textbooks, school supplies, feeding program, teachers' training, values formation programs and private sector-backed community involvement in five elementary schools here.
Dubbed "Adopt-A-School" program, beneficiary-schools are Baras Elementary School, Guintas Elementary School, Palaciawan Primary School, Lanas Elementary School and Tiwi Elementary School. Program partner is the Valera-Araneta Foundation, Inc., with Baras Elementary School the pilot program area.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was entered into by the foundation with the DepEd granting them a 3 year-program implementation.
Foundation officials Nonong and Eileen Araneta have since been awarded by the department for efforts that brought significant improvements in the pilot area. Other than the infrastructure works that did a major make-over on the 40 year-old schoolbuilding, a new multi-purpose building likewise stands in the school premises. Construction works, the couple said, were realized through the 'bayanihan spirit' of the locals and parents of schoolchildren.
A teachers' training would have started yesterday however as per verbal order of DepEd Schools Division of Iloilo Superintendent Raymundo Lapating, no such training nor any other foundation works are to be implemented.
Till further notice, the foundation is supposed to stay put. Yet DepEd central office said otherwise.
In a letter obtained by The News Today (TNT), Lapating was told to explain the unauthorized 'restraining order' to the foundation. This, as Adopt-A-School Program National Secretariat stressed "that the said training should be pushed through as planned." Further still, Lapating was reminded that as per DepEd thrust, "private sector support to public education on the basis of RA 8525 " is encouraged.
"...your act maybe perceived as contradicting such advocacies and non-support of the Adopt-A-School Program. Further, it may also lead to misconceptions as conflicting with the principles of school-based management which empowers school heads to find solutions to their identified needs," the letter signed by Mari Paul Soriano, Program Executive Director went.
Lapating was further reminded that DepEd has no objection on the training with the activity aligned with the department's priorities.
"The conduct of the training was identified as one of the critical needs of these schools as a result of an in-depth training needs assessment," the letter added.
In an interview, the Araneta couple decried the misdevelopments of the program while vowing to continue as mandated and provided for by the MOA.
Eileen also disclosed her unfortunate experience in the mayor's office where Barotac Nuevo Mayor Hernan Biron reportedly walked-out after telling her "for as long as I am the mayor, your program will never be approved."
Mere duplications of his congresswoman-son's efforts, Eileen was told with the mayor referring to school supplies distributed by Congressman Ferjenel Biron to public school children.
DepEd Iloilo officer-in-charge, Warlito Bagsit when asked for reaction declined to address the Biron-foundation problem. Instead, Bagsit appealed for time in order for Lapating to take care of the concern. Lapating is still on official leave.
Bagsit replied though to DepEd central office assuring of full support on the Adopt-A-School Program.
He also recognized the importance of private sector collaboration and gave credit to the efforts of the Valera-Araneta Foundation.