SUBIC, Zambales—The stormy weather notwithstanding, an outreach project by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) brought joy and cheer to Ayta children living in the remote foothills of Sitio Nibangon in this municipality.
In a short program held at the Saint Francis Learning Center (SFLC), a school ran by Franciscan sisters for Ayta pupils, personnel from the SBMA Tourism Department, along with members of the Rotary Club of Subic Pearl, turned over sacks of rice, canned goods, noodles and other foodstuff to the school.
They also joined the children in traditional songs and dances, as well as games, during the outreach project.
No less than 250 elementary and high-school students of Saint Francis benefited from the project, sponsored by business locators in the Subic Bay Freeport as part of the monthlong celebration of the 2016 National Tourism Month, SBMA Tourism Manager Mary Jamelle Camba said.
Taking pride in the project, SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said the Subic agency has been prioritizing outreach activities like this to help in promoting inclusive growth in the Subic Bay Freeport community.
“This is just a ray of sunshine on a rainy day, and SBMA is happy to be a critical part in the development of the local communities year in and year out, inclement weather or not,” Garcia said in a statement on Friday.
Sister Mary Francis Borje, who heads the SFLC, said the SBMA donation was a big relief not only to the school staff who try to make ends meet to support the center, but also to the pupils who come from poor families.
One of them, 9-year-old Aaron Ioncellas, who is on Grade 3 at the center, couldn’t hide his happiness upon receiving his box of lunch containing a piece of chicken, rice and chocolate brownies. But Aaron didn’t take his lunch; he said he was bringing it home to his four younger siblings instead.
Sister Mary said Saint Francis was established as a foundation in 1991 to help Ayta tribesmen in the remote village of Mangan-Vaca in Subic, Zambales, whose socioeconomic life was severely affected by the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
Starting out with two small shacks built by the Aytas from donated scrap wood, a handful of Franciscan nuns started teaching mostly illiterate Ayta adults the rudiments of reading and writing, as well as some basic livelihood skills.
The Ayta elders later appealed to the nuns to accommodate their children, as well.
“Today the SFLC is now recognized by the Department of Education as a registered educational institution that can accept Grade 1 to Grade 6 and senior high-school students,” Sister Mary said.
The recent outreach project is just the latest in a yearlong outreach program of SBMA for the benefit of indigent communities near the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Garcia said. Aside from this, the Subic agency provides millions in semiannual development assistance to nearby local government units (LGU) through the so-called LGU shares.
Just last month, SBMA released P141.4 million in revenue shares for the first half of 2016 to eight nearby communities in Zambales and Bataan.
Image credits: Henry Empeño