Mayor: Living conditions for Lapu kids, parents better

THE mayors of the Cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu cited improvements in the conditions of children living in their areas, particularly their health and education.

In her state of the children address yesterday, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza said her administration has paved the way for the improved conditions not just for children, but also for their parents as well.

Radaza said Lapu-Lapu City has been awarded the “Garantisadong Pambata Regional Award” thrice for its consistent performance in providing the best health care to the city’s children, starting from the mothers’ womb.

She also revealed that the city’s infant mortality rate is at 4.92 per 1,000 live births. This is “significantly low” compared to the national average of 12 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

“We have a lower infant mortality rate compared to the national average because of our continuous Vitamin A and Iron supplementation program for our pregnant mothers,” Radaza said.

She also added that pregnant mothers in the city are given quality prenatal care and tetanus toxoid immunization.

She said their city is one of two cities outside of Luzon that have invested heavily on health care, based on a recent survey conducted by the National Statistical Coordination Board.

Lowest

Radaza also said that among the cities, towns and provinces in Central Visayas, Lapu-Lapu City has the lowest malnutrition rate of just 1.92 percent among children six years old and below.

She said her administration has reached out to out-of-school youths and indigent students to provide them with education.

Radaza said the city’s literacy rate stands at 97 percent. She attributed this to various efforts the city made, in coordination with other groups, in providing the city’s children with better educational facilities and conditions.

In his state of the children address, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes cited significant improvements in basic education as well as an increase in enrollment.

Achievers

Also, Cortes said the Mandaue City Government awarded 20 outstanding children who have excelled well in their respective communities through academics.

The City also recognized former out-of-school youths and street children who became
outstanding community achievers.

Cortes said they became better citizens by uplifting themselves through the Alternative Learning System and taking up courses offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Cortes said that a year after the implementation of the K+12 program, the City’s public schools saw a 12 percent increase in enrollment, from 4,886 kindergarten enrollees last year to 5,485 this year.

Enrollment for the public elementary level also saw an increase of three percent this year, from 39,625 students last year to 41,008 students. The same goes for the public high school level, which saw a one percent increase this school year, Cortes added.

Drop

Cortes added that more and more students are keen on finishing their students, as the dropout rate in the elementary level decreased from 1.79 percent last year to 1.27 percent.

In the public high school level, the dropout rate saw a slight decrease from 5.77 percent to 5.76 percent this year.

Cortes also revealed the city has strengthened its public-private partnerships in providing classrooms for the students.

Also, he said they have used the P25-million cash grant after being awarded the “Seal of Good Housekeeping” from the Department of Interior and Local Government in constructing more classrooms to address the city’s shortage.

They will pursue the construction of 105 classrooms in the Mandaue City Central School, of which 15 are being constructed, Cortes said.