QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair, Atty. Romando Artes cited the importance of teaching the students at their early age to keep their schools clean and  orderly.

“Habang tayo ay bata, siguraduhin nating hindi tayo magkakalat. Ang ating mga basura ay itapon sa tamang lagayan, at huwag sirain ang anumang pasilidad sa ating eskwelahan,” Artes told students at the Pateros Elementary School in Barangay San Pedro, Municipality of Pateros where the MMDA led the launching of the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela 2023 Project on Tuesday (August 8).

In preparation for the opening of classes on August 29, personnel of MMDA from various offices undertook declogging of drainage; painting of school façade; trimming and pruning of trees; sidewalk clearing operations; painting of pedestrian lane; misting; repair of furnitures and fixtures like doors, fences, chairs, tables, and blackboards; and posting of no-smoking and no-vaping sign.

The MMDA will also provide traffic management, transport vehicles, and emergency quick response within the school premises.

Beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program under the agency’s partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment also participated in the said activities aimed at improving public schools prior to the resumption of classes.

 Artes, who personally supervised  the services brought by the agency for the Brigada Eskwela, said  the MMDA’s continued participation in the yearly activity is part of their commitment to beautify learning spaces and create a conducive  environment for students in the metropolis.

“With our regular coordination with the DepEd for the annual Brigada Eskwela, and also with DOLE under our partnership for the TUPAD program, I am very happy that we are able to address the needs of both our displaced workers as well as the teaching community and the students,” he said.
 
MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations Assistant Secretary David Angelo Vargas, also appealed for the year-round maintenance of the schools, emphasizing that a clean school would result in a more conducive learning experience for the students.
 
Meanwhile, Pateros Mayor Ike Ponce thanked the MMDA for leading this year’s Brigada Eskwela, but also for its assistance given to the entire municipality. (mmda/pia-ncr)