The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. has long been a partner in building education infrastructure in Cebu. It has built 209 classrooms and 20 day care centers were turn over for Bantayan Island and Daan Bantayan like this one in the Bantayan Central Elementary School in October last year. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
The Cebu provincial government will enter into a partnership memorandum of agreement with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) for the construction of classroom buildings in ten schools throughout the province.
Last Monday, the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved a resolution authorizing Gov. Hilario Davide III to enter into a contract with RAFI, the concerned local government units, and recipient schools.
Buildings with six classrooms will be built in Sangat National Highschool, San Fernando; Bagalnga Integrated School, Compostela; Calape National High School, Daanbantayan; Mantalongon National High School, Barili; Mohon National High School, Sogod; and Marikaban Integrated School, Sta. Fe.
Each unit costs about P8.79 million. Of the amount, the Province will shoulder P3.08 million while RAFI will shoulder around P5.7 million.
Catmon Integrated School, Catmon; Carmen National High School, Carmen; and San Remigio National High School, San Remigio will each receive new three-story classroom buildings with nine classrooms.
A unit costs about P12.3 million. Of the amount, the Province will shoulder P4.3 million while RAFI will shoulder P8 million.
Madridejos National Highschool in Sta. Fe, Bantayan Island, is the sole recipient of the four-storey building with 12 classrooms.
The unit costs P16.19 million. A portion of which, amounting to P7.6 million, will be assumed by the Capitol while almost P8.6 million will be shouldered by RAFI.
The whole project consisting of 10 school buildings and a total of 75 classrooms will cost P106.5 million, with the Capitol spending P38.98 million and RAFI spending P67.52 million.
The Capitol’s and RAFI’s counterparts will be used for the purchase of construction materials and manpower requirements needed to complete the projects.
The Local Government Code of 1991 provides that LGUs may enter into joint ventures and other cooperative engagements with People’s Organizations (PO) or Nongovernment Organizations (NGO) to engage in the delivery of basic services to the populace.
In the resolution authored by PB member Peter John Calderon, chairperson of the committee on education, RAFI shall spearhead the building construction and administration.
The concerned LGUs, on the other hand, are tasked to provide institutional, technical and operational support in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of respective projects.
They will also be responsible for securing the necessary building permits.
In a copy of the partnership MOA, it is stated that RAFI is implementing the High School Building Project in Cebu in order to “provide a, conducive learning environment and enhance the quality of education by providing additional learning facilities.”
The MOA also states that the projects “will have a term of one year starting January to December 2015.”
The concerned parties are expected to formally sign the partnership agreement by February.