BONTOC, Mountain Province – Senator Imee Marcos personally came to this capital town to lead the distribution of educational assistance to 1,000 students in the province under the MAKABASA LATTA! Program: Educational Support for the victims of Super Typhoon Egay on August 20, 2023, at the Mountain Province General Comprehensive High School (MPGCHS) covered court.
In his welcome Message, Mayor Jerome “Chagsen” Tudlong, Jr., took the opportunity to extend the profound gratitude of the Bontoc community to Senator Imee for her immediate response and action in providing financial assistance to the fire victims that transpired on April 11, 2023.
Tudlong added that the assistance to fire victims of which the disbursement was facilitated by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is one of the many assistances and government services/programs that the Office of Senator Imee has provided to the Mountain Province constituents.
“In all the government undertakings, we at the local government unit (the provincial, municipal, and barangay levels) have been operating under the principle that collaboration among government, civil society, and other stakeholders is the heart of the realization of bringing government services and programs to the community- the grassroots. We are blessed and grateful that Senator Imee never forgets and never abandoned us, the Indigenous Peoples in the Cordillera region. She recognizes inclusive development for all. That in every government program, no one is left behind,” the mayor added.
Speaking before a crowd of students, the senator remarked that despite calamities that are being experienced in the country, education for the learners should not be hampered, thus, the MAKABASA LATTA! Program: Educational Support for the Victims of Super Typhoon Egay.
Also, she emphasized the importance of pursuing education as a means for students to realize and attain their ambitions. The senator added that youth are the leaders of the community today, not in the distant future.
Each beneficiary for the said educational assistance shall receive PhP5,000 to augment their financial needs in their studies.
Other officials in attendance who delivered their respective messages are Congressman Maximo Dalog, Jr., and Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr.
Also in attendance are Sangguniang Panlalawigan members, mayors from the municipalities in Mountain Province, Mountain Province State Polytechnic College President Edgar Cue, personnel from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, members of the media, and some employees of the DSWD-Mountain Province and the provincial government.