AFP to transport 17,000 packs of school supplies to Leyte

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 28): AFP to transport 17,000 packs of school supplies to Leyte

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced that it will be delivering 17,000 packs of school supplies to 55 public schools badly battered by "Yolanda" in Leyte by Wednesday, Jan. 29.

These items were donated by the South Korean non-government organization, Givers Fund Inc. (GFI) today, Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesperson, said that five M-35 trucks with drivers and security personnel will be provided by the military to assist the GFI in transporting their donations from Camp Aguinaldo, Cebu City and Leyte.

He added that the AFP Central Command will then handle the distribution of the supplies to 45 schools in Tanauan and 15 schools in Tolosa, Leyte upon arrival there on Thursday.

Currently, soldiers from the AFP General Headquarters together with personnel from the GFI and other South Korean and Filipino volunteers are repacking the school supplies at the AFP Wellness Center, here in Camp Aguinaldo.

Each of the 17,000 packs contains 16 items including backpack, pencil, folder, notebooks, and coloring materials for both elementary and high school students.

Earlier, a ceremony was held at the same venue to launch the activity dubbed as "Bayanihan para sa Kabataan: School Supply Donation."

AFP deputy chief-of-staff, Major Gen. Virgilio Domingo, and South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, Hyuk Lee jointly led the launching.

In his speech, Domingo noted that people in typhoon-stricken provinces continue to struggle in providing a sense of normalcy in their areas particularly the children.

“They are left with damaged schools that are no longer conducive for learning while teachers are forced to utilize whatever meager resources are available,” he added.

"Which is why the news of help coming from our Korean brothers and sisters, particularly the Korean Food for the Hungry International and Givers Fund, Inc, is a sound of relief and source of great joy to our country,” he said.

“We have been blessed to have neighbors who equally appreciate the importance of education in the lives of the youth and value the role that our children play in the future of our respective societies,” Domingo stressed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610176