Hinterland community opens new high school

By COCOY SEXCION

MAASIM, Sarangani (July 7, 2011) - Governor Migs Dominguez immediately approved a barangay resolution he received on Tuesday (July 5) requesting for the construction of a students’ dormitory at a new integrated high school in a hinterland community.

The approved request of barangay Amsipit for fund allocation of P400,000 for a dormitory was matched by the governor with a commitment of additional provincial school board teachers through QUEST (Quality Education for Sarangani Today).

The dormitory in sitio Kyumad would accommodate students living in distant sitios. Students usually walk for hours daily in going to school. With the dormitory, the students would be able to live near the school.

Local officials joined Governor Dominguez with Department of Education assistant division superintendent Socrates Mabalot and DSWD XII assistant regional director Gemma Rivera during the inauguration and turn-over to the community of a two-classroom school building at Kyumad Integrated School.

The P1.242-million community-led project was completed with a KALAHI-CIDSS (Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services) grant amounting to P935,000, plus a counterpart of P163,042 from the provincial and municipal government. Sarangani Energy Corporation shouldered the P165,000 barangay counterpart while DOLE Philippines lent a welding machine.

“Before, our school had to combine Grade 1 to Grade 4 pupils in one classroom. And when some of our Grade 4 pupils would transfer school in the lowland, they would be sent back to Grade 1. Why? That’s because of poor quality of education here in the highland,” Pastor Arthur Moyak said in his testimony. “That’s why I thank the leaders specially Governor Dominguez for looking after our problems.”

Sitio Kyumad, inhabited mostly by Blaan families, is located in the hinterlands of Maasim with 720 households and a total of 80 1st year and 2nd year students who are now studying at the new integrated high school.

The governor lauded the barangay council and the entire community for the “best practices” in the implementation of the project.

“You inspired me today. Kaning inspirasyon na inyong gihatag sa akoa, mao ni ang dalhon nako pagbalik nako sa Kapitolyo,” Governor Dominguez told the residents. “Nangutana gani ko, kinsa man ang kontraktor diri? Tinuod lang mas nindot pa man mo ug agi kaysa naay engineer”.

The governor added: “Imbes mag pusta ta sa last two, ipusta na lang nato sa kaugmaon sa atong mga anak. Ang target nako, pagbalik nako diri sa pag edad nako ug 50 years old naa nay sobra gatos ka professionals na naggikan diri sa inyong lugar. Dili lang nako ni damgo kun dili damgo natong tanan”.

KALAHI-CIDSS is the national government’s flagship poverty–alleviation project through the financial support of the World Bank.

KALAHI-CIDSS projects follow the Community-Driven Development (CCD) model designed to mobilize the capacity of the local people to analyze their own need, manage resources, and implement appropriate interventions.

These are projects that involve the community right from the start, encourage transparency and thus prevent corruption.

CCD employs strategies that development priorities are addressed in a participatory, collective and inclusive decision-making. In KALAHI-CIDSS, control over resources is in the hands of the poor. (Cocoy Sexcion/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)