A.2 Starts Breaking Ground in Kananga

10:00AM 13MAY2015. Brgy. Cacao Officials, Kananga LGU Officials, ADB/GMU, Plan Int'l, Teachers and School Children take part in the Ground Breaking Ceremonies for the construction of a new 3-classroom building.

Two school projects of Plan International, funded under Grant 9175's Sub-component A.2, held Ground Breaking Ceremonies today in Kanaga Leyte, to mark the start of classroom constructions. These are the 3-Classroom Building at Cacao Elementary School in Barangay Cacao and the 2-Classroom Building at Tugbong Elementary School in Barangay Tugbong.

Graced by the Municipal Mayor, Plan International Staff and ADB/GMU Representatives, the ceremonies were warmly celebrated by their respective Barangay Officials, the thankful parents and cheerful school children.

On both occassions, after enjoining his constituents to thank Plan International for selecting their schools, and thanking the donor (ADB JFPR), Mayor Elmer Codilla reminded the residents, that if and when these disaster resilient classrooms become their evacuation center in the future, they should remember to restore everything in the rooms after use, so these become immediately available for use by the teachers and school children. The audience cheered with unanimous affirmaion, while Brgy. officials vowed to ensure this will be observed.

Vice-Mayor Macario Lumangtad echoed the Mayor's appreciation of ADB and Plan International, saying in deep visayan prose, that there is no measure of their heartfelt gratitude for the grant, and that we may never already know, how many children will later reap successes in life, because they comfortably spent their early school years in sturdy and comfortable classrooms.

2:00PM 13MAY2015. Ruby Gomez of Plan Int'l describes the details and mechanics of their various interventions in Brgy. Tugbong, Kananga, Leyte under the JFPR Grant, as guests (L-R: Vice Mayor Lumangtad, Maynard Matammu, Cordel Trinchera, Mayor Codilla, Dindo Mengote and Brgy Captain Nahine) listen with the rest of the community.

At Barangay Cacao, their Barangay Captain Eleuterio Empimo and School Head Riza Fiel profusely thanked ADB for the grant, saying the new building will not only bring better classrooms for their children, but also serve as temporary shelter (evacuation center) in this flood-prone barangay. Plan International for their part assured the recipients that the new classrooms will not be flooded as these are elevated about 1 meter high from the ground.

At Barangay Tugbong on the other hand, Barangay Captain Marciano Nahine, thanked ADB and Plan International for coming their way, to complement and complete, the already ongoing re-construction of other school buildings sponsored by other humanitarian organizations.

Turning his attention to the ultimate project beneficiaries (the children of Brgy. Cacao & Brgy. Tugbong), Dindo Mengote (ADB/GMU SEERE), on both ceremonies, rallied the children to make good use of the new rooms, by comitting to attend their classes daily until they finish elementary school. To which the kids boisterously clapped and cheered with a resounding "yes, we will"!

Three other schools in Kananga will also break ground soon! These are the Monte Bello National High School, Aguiting Elementary School and Tagaytay Elementary School.