Saturday, August 16, 2008 City to reward trader who gave 36 classrooms
THE Chinese-Filipino businessman who donated 36 classroom buildings to four barangays in Lapu-Lapu City will be among the awardees when Mayor Arturo Radaza delivers his State of the City address.
A resolution introduced by City Councilor Junard Chan and approved en masse in last Wednesday’s regular session recognized Ramon Chiu’s dedication to help the youth whose parents can’t afford to send them to private schools.
Chiu donated 21 classroom buildings and a covered court in Barangay Gun-ob; four in Barangay Mactan; two in Barangay Basak and nine in Barangay Maribago.
President Arroyo, assisted by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and local officials, inaugurated the school buildings in Gun-ob last month.
Last year, the City approved a resolution asking the Department of Public Works and Highways to make sure that any government-funded school should be two or more storeys because the city is getting congested.
Chan said the donation of 36 classroom buildings has helped bridge the City’s education program to the out-of-school youth.
“What we need now is to provide our public schools with modern textbooks. Dili na ta anang mga libro nga nagisi na ang mga cover …mauwaw na ta ana (We’ll no longer use books whose covers are torn),” he said.
When classes opened last June, the Department of Education 7 cited the private sector’s help in building more classrooms.
It told Sun.Star Cebu that Central Visayas needed 600 more classrooms for elementary pupils and 1,000 more high school classrooms. (AIV)
