On July 26, 2022, Consul-General ISHIKAWA Yoshihisa, Vice Consul MITSUHASHI Rie of the Consulate-General of Japan in Davao, and Third Secretary YAMADA Yumi from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines attended the turnover ceremony in Kidapawan City, Cotabato for “The Project for the Construction of School Building of Sto. Niño Elementary School.”
Also in attendance were Kidapawan City Mayor Jose Paolo Evangelista, Department of Education XII Regional Director Carlito Rocafort, other LGU officials, parents, schoolteachers, and students.
The project was approved in 2019 and is part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), funded through the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP). It is also part of the Embassy’s effort to support the peace and development in Mindanao under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) 1.
Sto. Niño Elementary School is a public elementary school established in 1957. Through time and with the impacts of earthquakes, the classrooms acquired damages, making them unsafe to use and subject to demolition. The school also often suspends classes due to rainwater intrusion from the ceilings and the windows. The school are even conducting classes in a multi-purpose hall due to classroom shortage.
To address this issue, the Embassy of Japan has provided a grant amount of USD 183,563 or approximately PHP 9.4 million2 to Kidapawan City. The grant covered the construction of a two (2) story-four (4) classroom school building. In his message during the ceremony, Consul-General ISHIKAWA expressed his joy in seeing pupils back to Sto. Niño Elementary School, after two years of home learning and commended the teachers and pupils for persevering in this most challenging time. He further expressed his hope that the new classrooms will provide better learning experiences for students of Sto. Niño Elementary School.
As the top ODA donor to the Philippines, the Government of Japan launched the GGP scheme in the Philippines in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engage in grassroots activities. At present, 553 grassroots projects have been implemented by the GGP. Japan believes these projects will strengthen the friendship between Japan and the Philippines and contribute to sustaining strategic partnerships between the two countries.
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