Australian ambassador, officials to join Taguig’s “Brigada Eskwela”

By Jimmyley I. Guzman

Wednesday 23rd of May 2012

TAGUIG, May 23 (PIA) –- Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell will lead embassy officials and staff today for the “Brigada Eskwela” at the Silangan Elementry School in Taguig City.

In a release, more than 80 Australian Embassy staff along with their family members will join in the clean-up drive in five schools in Taguig until Friday, May 25.

Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano will join embassy officials and staff at the Silangan Elementry School at 2:00 p.m.

The Australian government donated A$109,000 or P4.7 million to support this year’s Brigada Eskwela activities in 80 public schools in Metro Manila and in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Aside from the financial support, the Australian government’s participation manifests their strong commitment to improve the quality of education in the Philippines.

Earlier, Cayetano said that many of the city’s residents are volunteering to help the local government and education officials to ensure classrooms are ready before school opening on June 4, adding that the spirit of “Bayanihan” is alive and strong in the city.

The city government also provided the cleaning and painting materials for the Brigada Eskwela.

Brigada Eskwela is an annual program of the Department of Education (DepEd), mandated under DepEd Order No. 24 issued in 2008.

Meanwhile, Cayetano will again distribute complete sets of ready-to-wear uniforms, bags, new pairs of shoes, and school supplies to each public school student, from pre-school to high school starting June 11. (Taguig PIO/RJB/JEG-PIA NCR)