About 1,750 Grade I pupils from 18 identified elementary schools in San Enrique and Don Salvador Benedicto towns, in Negros Occidental are expected to benefit from the Food for School Program to be implemented this week by the Department of Education and the National Food Authority, a press release from the NFA Negros Occidental field office said.

Gil Ibarra, NFA provincial manager, said the program is a package of comprehensive and immediate intervention designed to address the food and socio-economic needs of Grade I pupils, pre-schoolers, and their families.

Pupil-beneficiaries will receive one kilo of rice in exchange for their attendance in school everyday. Values formation activities and productivity skills training will also be conduced for their parents.

Ibarra said the target schools were selected because of the high incidence of families living below subsistence threshold level, high prevalence of malnutrition among Grade I and pre-schooler children, and the high drop-out rate, the press release said.

A total of 3,218 bags of NFA rice will be delivered on a staggered basis to the six schools in San Enrique and 12 schools in Don Salvador Benedicto, which were identified by the DepEd.

The supply will be distributed to the pupils until the end of the schoolyear in March 2006. Of the total volume, about 942 bags will be distributed to the schoolchildren in San Enrique, and 2,277 bags in Don Salvador Benedicto, the press release added.*

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Solon pushes
teachers' pay hike

Rep. Ignacio Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th district) is filing a bill to upgrade the existing salary grade of public school teachers in the elementary and secondary schools from Grade 10 to Grade 20, a press release from his office said yesterday.

Arroyo said the low salary in public schools results in the exodus of teachers who seek greener pastures abroad.

At present, a public school teacher with a salary grade of 10 is receiving a monthly salary of P9,939, while those with a salary grade of 20 have a take home pay of P17,799 per month, the press release said.

Arroyo said the salary upgrading for public school teachers should be considered by the government while it is planning to hire 9,200 teachers and more school personnel next year, it added.

Under this bill, the salary upgrading will be implemented in accordance with the qualifications and length of service rendered by teachers and shall not be prejudiced by across-the-board adjustments. It also provides that the salary increase of public school teachers shall take priority over the other non-educational and non-agricultural budgetary allocations.

Arroyo said, the Department of Education Culture and Sports is mandated to come up with a specific programmed budget needed to cover the expenses for the upgrading in salary levels for all teacher plantilla positions for a period of five years, the press release also said.*

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Free dental services
conducted in jail

Free dental services and medicines were given in the "Project Our Lady's Chapel CARES" conducted recently at the Handumanan Jail, in Bacolod City, a press release from the Our Lady's Chapel said yesterday.

The project that is now on its fourth year, is in collaboration with the Marian Missionaries of the Holy Cross Community, and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel led by C/Insp. Gregorio Gupiteo Jr.

A Holy Mass officiated by Fr. Philip Honorio de la Cruz, MMHC, assisted by the Marian brothers, was celebrated before the dental clinic started.

The five volunteer dentists were provincial jail dentist Dr. Ferdinand Antipatia, Drs. Mansueta Gamboa and Cherry Abineta from the Bacolod City Health, and Yvonne Tan and Dante Felix Demegillo from the Department of Education.

Carmencita Altarejos, Our Lady's Chapel president, led the volunteers from Gonzaga Subdivision including Jocelyn Makilan - project chairman, May Altarejos-Cueva - project proponent, Edna Jimenez, Adelfa Cabillo, Anthony Altarejos, and Bernadette Cabillo, the press release said.

The group is planning to hold another dental extraction also with free medicines next month, the press release added.*

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35 Gawad Kalinga
houses turned over

It was a dream come true for 35 families from the Tangub and Sum-ag areas Saturday when Gawad Kalinga and their partners turned over the first 35 houses in Sum-ag, Bacolod City, a press release from the group said yesterday.

The colorful homes are in the 3.1 hectare ERH-GK Village donated by the De la Rama-Hernaez family through Cecile Magsaysay, and will be a model community for the poor families.

The site development plan, done by the La Consolacion College School of Architecture students, is for a community of 240 families with multi-purpose facilities, a pre-school, a chapel, a livelihood center and a park/playground, a press release said.

In a simple ceremony, GK partner Oscar Hilado and his family who donated 63 houses, with GK provincial head Bobby Magalona awarded the families their homes through the Gawad Kalinga program.

Hilado lauded Gawad Kalinga for the very inspiring work of nation-building by helping the families. Many families were in tears because for them, it was a lifelong dream that came true.

Present during the turnover ceremonies were the different partners of GK in the ERH GK Village - the Rotary Club of Bacolod North, St. Joseph High School, University of St. La Salle, the barangay officials of Sum-ag, Bacolod Councilor Thaddeus Sayson for the city government, and members of the Couples for Christ.

In the ERH-GK Village, the Rotary Club of Bacolod North with the Rotary Club of Montecito, Southern California will put up a Rotary Village of 25 families by the first quarter of 2006. The UNO-R College of Engineering has committed to help in the surveying and technical plans for the drainage and water systems of the area. The city government of Bacolod has also assisted GK and the Department of Public Works and Highways has committed to help in the road grading, the press release said.

Recently, GK and Bacolod City signed a Memorandum of Agreement for GK to put up a community at the city's relocation site, the Abada-Escay property. There are now a total of 17 GK communities in Negros Occidental and close to 600 GK communities all over the country. Through its GK 777, Gawad Kalinga hopes to build 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in seven years nationwide, with its partners, the press release added.*

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