The new P15 million building for the Department of Education-Division of Sagay City was inaugurated within a five-hectare area donated by the Sagay City government in Sitio Chloe, Brgy. Rizal, recently.
The building occupies 3,500 square meters of the donated land, beside the two buildings of Sagay City Senior High School, a press release from Sagay City said.
It will house more than 200 personnel of DepEd-Sagay City Division.
The inauguration was led by Mayor Alfredo Marañon, III, DepEd-Sagay Acting Superindendent Arlene Bermejo, Acting Assistant Superintendent Ruby Therese Almencion, Vice Mayor Narciso Javelosa, former Schools Governance and Operations Head Nicanor Alparito, and other DepEd personnel and city staff.
Marañon said DepEd-Sagay is growing fast and they need a bigger plan.
“Even school buildings have been established one after the other,” the mayor said, adding “We really need to plan for something big as through the years, our educational needs have grown bigger.”
Construction of the building started in May 2018 and it was expected to be tentatively finished by March 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Josette Balandra, SEPS (Senior Education Program Specialist) for Social Mobilization and Networking, facilitated the acquisition of the lot donation and request for approval of the fund allocation from DepEd Central Office.
While, the office of Mayor Maranon, approved the donation of lot and Rep.Leo Rafael Cueva (Neg. Occ., 2nd District) fast-tracked the allocation of funds.
Former DepEd Undersecretary Mario Deriquito also helped in facilitating the allocation of funds from the Central Office and Region VI Director Gilbert Sadsad for endorsement to the Central Office and to the present SDS Arlene Bermejo for continuing the unfinished work until its completion.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, in a statement, said that the building is a welcome development in the second district of Negros Occidental, adding that it will pave the way to improve and capacitate Sagay schools and DepEd personnel.
“Education and improving our educational policies are among the top priorities of the provincial administration, and particularly public education remains to be the most important tool in lifting families out of poverty and in giving solid opportunities to our youth,” he said in his statement delivered by Exeutive Assstant to the Governor, Roy Plagata.
Vice Mayor Narciso “Narwin” Javelosa, Jr. also congratulated the DepEd-Sagay for the completion of their new building and assured the educators that the city government will continue to support the academic endeavors of the division.*