ABOUT 450 Indigenous People (IP) students will benefit from the two-classroom Kapuso-type school buildings in Barangay Perez and Barangay Illomavis, both in Kidawapan City, Cotabato, during the consecutive groundbreaking ceremonies on July 20.
Major Mark Anthony Tito, the spokesperson of the 10th Infantry Division, said the GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc. (GMAKFI), the Department of Education, Kidapawan City, and the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division signed the Memorandum of Agreement to construct two-classroom school buildings designed to withstand 280 kilometers per hour (kph) windspeed and 8.0 magnitude earthquake.
Likewise, the proposed school buildings will be built away from the fault lines and in the ancestral domain of the Obu Manuvu tribe where the IP leaders donated.
Rikki Escudero-Catibog, executive president of GMAKFI, expected to finish the projects within three to four months.
“The projects were put to reality because of the cooperation of the 10ID, LGU, and NGAs. Initially, we planned to build a village for the quake-affected residents. We had raised funds. However, the pandemic entered, and all our plans were compromised,” he said.
Meanwhile, 10ID Commander Major General Jose Eriel M. Niembra committed to supervising and sustaining the construction.
“It’s one way of helping our people escape the clutches of poverty, no other than education. First, we’ll build schools where our children can go and study. This will help countless children achieve their dreams,” Niembra added.
In October 2019, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck places in Cotabato, affecting 11,000 families.
