Chan eyes SEF to buy tablets for high school students

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan shares his plans for the children of the city in this CDN file photo.

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan will soon utilize the Special Education Fund (SEF) to buy tablets for junior and senior high school students to support their studies.

“I intend to utilize Special Education Fund to purchase tablets for Grade 11 and Grade 12, para ila magamit sa ilang (so that they can use these on their ) on-line class,” Chan said in his State of the Children Address held at Plaza Rizal on Monday, November 8, 2021.

He added that he would also purchase a laptop for teachers of these students.

But he said funds for this purchase were still pending at the City Council, which was included in the 2022 annual budget.

The mayor, however, said that he was hoping that the council would fast-track the approval of the proposed annual budget or else, his administration would use a re-enacted annual budget.

“Apan di na mahimong babag sa atong pagpalit og mga tablet ug laptop, atong paningkamutan by next year we will use the re-enacted budget to purchase laptop and tablet para sa atong maayong edukasyon,” he added.

(But that will not be a hindrance in our plan to buy tablets and laptops. We will do our best that by next year we will use the re-enacted budget to purchase laptops and tablets for the good of education.)

Mayor Chan’s address to the children, answers the “State of the Youth Appeal”, delivered by Kelvin Jose Arong, a Grade 10 pupil from Sta Rosa School and who is also the president of the federation of the City’s Supreme Student Councils.

On Arong’s appeal for environment protection, Mayor said he already did this since he assumed office in 2019, with his “deep sea” and “coastal clean-up” dubbed as “Scubasurero”.

He added that on a certain day of the week, the city banned single-use plastic which had been the main cause of clogging in the floodways.

On the issue of children’s mental health, which was caused by this pandemic, the mayor said the city hospital had this “violet room”, to serve as an examination room for mentally challenged patients.

“Sa tibuok Rehiyon VII kita ray nagpahigayon niining mental health examination center, salamat sa atong former CSWDO head Annabeth Cuizon” the mayor said.

(In the whole region 7, we are the only ones who implemented the mental health examination center. Thanks to our former CSWDO head Annabeth Cuizon.)

Mayor Chan said in October 2020, he and city tourism head Cindi Chan successfully launched “Balik Turismo” to invite tourists back to Lapu-Lapu and jump-start the economy.

It is one way to revive the tourism industry, so workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic can now put food on their tables.

Aside from his wife Cindi, Vice Mayor Celsi Sitoy graced the mayor’s children’s address, together with City Councilors Efren Herrera, Janvi dela Cerna, SK chair Laika Tampus, and former CSWDO head Annabeth Cuizon, together with some department heads.

National Children’s Month is an annual celebration that commemorates the signing of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989.

The celebration is made possible by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 10661, an act declaring November of every year as National Children Month.

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