South Cotabato, Sarangani receive 15,000 books from Asia Foundation

Thursday 21st of July 2011

KORONADAL CITY, July 21 (PIA) -- Some 290 schools in Sarangani and South Cotabato provinces this week received a total of 15,100 books from the non-government organization, Asian Foundation.

Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia donated 7,500 books to the provincial government of Saranggani on Tuesday and another 7,600 books to the provincial government of South Cotabato on Wednesday.

Saranggani Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez said he is “grateful for the books as gifts to Asia Foundation to Sarangani children.”

“We value this investment because it gives more knowledge to our students as well as our teachers.”

Meanwhile, Quality Education for Saranggani Today (QUEST) Program Manager Ann Edday said that the donation the new educational materials to public elementary, high school and colleges serves as a continuing commitment to promote education and literacy in Mindanao.

At least 149 public schools in Sarangani have benefited from the donation.

Each elementary school received at least 50 reference books while secondary schools got at least 40 books each.

Provincial and municipal LGUs and partner non-government organizations were also given boxes of reference materials.

Meanwhile, at the turnover ceremonies at the South Cotabato provincial capitol compound yesterday, Gov. Arthur Y. Pingoy Jr. said, the donation is a big help to the Department of Education, particularly for the South Cotabato schools division, which is he said is admittedly suffering from lack of books.

“I am very grateful that the Asia Foundation approved our request for South Cotabato to be included in their distribution of books,” he said.

One hundred forty-one schools – consisting of 107 elementary schools, 32 secondary schools, and 2 tertiary institutions in South Cotabato – have benefited from the book donation.

After Sarangani and South Cotabato, Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia will be distributing books to schools in Sultan Kudarat province and in the cities of Tacurong and General Santos.

Books for Asia has already distributed more than 13 million books and journals to public and private institutions in the Philippines. (with reports from Beverly Paoyon – Sarangani Information Office/PIA 12)