News | MOA Signing between Department of Education and GPF Philippines

MOA Signing between Department of Education and GPF Philippines

A Memorandum Of Agreement Signing was held between the Department of Education (represented by DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro FSC and Undersecretary for Partnerships & External Linkages Mario Deriquito) and Global Peace Foundation Philippines (represented by GPF Asia-Pacific Regional President Jinsoo Kim and GPF Philippines Strategic Partnerships Director Michael Zablan) at the DepEd Central Office at 9:30AM.

DepEd and GPF agreed to enable indigenous peoples communities to develop self-reliance and to demonstrate resiliency by providing an enhanced learning environment through the provision of computer laboratory rooms that is powered by solar generator sets. The computers and the classrooms will be provided by DepEd and the solar gensets by GPF. The target areas are: Pureg Elementary School (Pureg, Callungan, Sanchez Mira, Cagayan), Flora Primary School (Flora, Maruglu, Capas, Tarlac), and Tamale Elementary School (Tamale, Digmala, Bongabon, Nueva Ecija).

Three solar generator sets are already turned over to Pureg Elementary School (1 set) on December 8th and to Flora Primary School (2 sets) on December 11th by its donors, the international volunteers of the 10th Global Peace Youth Exchange (GPYE). As for Tamale Elementary School, the turnover shall be held in the first quarter of 2015.

Sec. Luistro thanked GPF for the ways that the "light" given to various communities, through the portable solar lanterns, streetlights and generator sets, brought greater access to educational resources to the pupils and peace to the communities. He also placed a call to aid the remaining 953,970 students in off-grid schools to gain access to solar energy.

GPF Philippines Executive Director Aldrin Nituma, program directors Joy Remigio (All-Lights Village) and Ann Montejo (GlobALS), and Global Peace Youth Philippines President Leonard Faustino were also present at the signing.

After the signing, the 11 international volunteers from Korea, Japan, Mongolia and the U.S.A. also made a courtesy call to Sec. Luistro.