CONNER, Apayao – A new gymnasium and three additional classrooms now stand in Barangay Talifugo, officially turned over on May 8, 2025, through the joint efforts of Congresswoman Eleanor Bulut-Begtang and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)–Apayao First District Engineering Office.
The Talifugo Multipurpose Building was funded with PhP10 million, while the classrooms built for the local elementary school were completed under a PhP9 million allocation. Both projects were part of the 2024 basic infrastructure program of the DPWH pushed with the support of Bulut-Begtang.
“It has been my priority to fund multipurpose buildings and schools ever since. Ken saan lang ditoy ti maik-ikkan ti pondo ngem we started funding dagijay administrative building tayo. Nalpas tayon nga inaugurate jay Buluan, for this year addan to manen ti maipan diyay Brgy. Malama nga admin building. Iso a sapay kuma ta daytoy ti inspirasyon yu met kadagiti idaw-dawatmi met a sagkabassit a mang-inspire met kenyami tapno agtultuloy iti napintas a direksiyon iti DepEd,” said Bulut-Begtang during the turnover rites.
The gym is expected to serve as a venue for school and barangay events, and as an evacuation or coordination center during emergencies. While the new classrooms respond to the shortage of learning space and will provide a safer and more functional learning environment for students and teachers.
For a growing community like Talifugo, where space has often been limited and infrastructure slow to arrive, the projects is a visible proof of what responsive governance can look like on the ground.
Officials and residents of the said barangay welcomed the facilities and said that the improvements will enhance the barangay’s education and community services going forward.
Apayao’s push for inclusive development inches forward through deliberate, grounded efforts that reach even the most remote barangays. By Diocen D. Tolentino
