BONTOC, Mountain Province – Public elementary and secondary schools in this capital town received their equal share of P23, 966.46 each as financial assistance and P5, 000 each in support of Brigada Eskwela from the municipal government under the Special Education Fund (SEF).
Mainit National High School (NHS) received an additional budget of P100, 000 for the development or improvement of the school.
Meanwhile, the Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School (MPGCHS) is yet to receive its share of P23, 966.46 after the liquidation of the P10, 000 as the municipality’s aid to Brigada Eskwela for MPGCHS junior and senior high schools. Also, the MPGCHS will receive an additional budget of P200, 000 for the Special Program in the Arts and Special Program in Journalism.
In his message, Bontoc Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., remarked that municipal government is committed to assist, to the extent it can, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the different public schools.
He added that education is one of the priority programs of the new administration for the next three years with its roadmap ENLANGAKHA: Achieving the Vision for a Dynamic Bontoc”.
“Englangakha is an old Bontok term meaning “to shine brightly”. It encompasses the four pillars of the incoming administration including Ecosystem Generation; Empowered Communities; Economic Empowerment; and Governance. The second pillar which is Empower Communities shall include promoting health and nutrition; local culture and the arts; strengthening support for education and youth development; and maintaining peace and order.
On behalf of the DepEd and the school beneficiaries, Schools Division District Supervisor Nestor Morareng expressed his profound gratitude to the municipal government for its unending assistance and support to the education sector.
Likewise, he lauded Bontoc as being the only local government in Mountain Province to download the financial assistance under the SEF to respective schools for the latter to independently allot the budget according to the school’s needs.
Aside from the provision of financial assistance and support to Brigada Eskwela, the municipal government allocates its budget in support of education.
Some of these include the annual allocation of financial aid for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, District Athletic Meet, Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (CARAA) Meet, Batang Pinoy or Philippine National Games, Alternative Learning System; financial aid to Provincial Meet; allocation of cash incentives for the Oplan Pera sa Basura; and the institutionalization of the annual Bontoc District Teachers Day Celebration and allotment of a separate budget for this purpose.
Likewise, to encourage students to excel either in academic and/or sports competitions at the provincial, regional, national, or international levels and bring honor to the municipality, the municipal government has, for how many years now, allocated P300,000 per year for cash incentives to students who bring home gold, silver, or bronze medals. It is noteworthy that it is only Bontoc, among all the towns in Mountain Province, which has this program.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Municipal Treasurer is appealing to the public to pay their taxes as it is given back to the community through programs, projects, activities, and services such as the SEF and the annual allocation of funding to various education-related programs.