Sec. Luistro lauds Korea's Araw Contingent for helping rebuild school facilities destroyed by Yolanda

From the Philippine News Agency (May 19): Sec. Luistro lauds Korea's Araw Contingent for helping rebuild school facilities destroyed by Yolanda

Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro on Monday expressed “very, very deep gratitude” to the Joint Support Group of the Republic of Korea (ROK) particularly its Araw Contingent which helped rebuild school facilities destroyed by typhoon Yolanda in Leyte province.

The top official likewise proposed to regional director Luisa B. Yu that one room in the lounge of the DepEd Regional Educational Training Center (RELC) be named after the Araw Contingent.

The RELC is one of the 20 public facilities that were rebuilt by the Korean military force in four towns of Leyte. The completed facility, composed of four buildings, a training center and two dormitories, was turned over to the DepEd Monday.

“The Araw Room (is) a sign that the sun will forever shine and will not sit on this part of the Philippines because we will always remember you. Each one of you will be held in great esteem in our hearts,” he stated.

Luistro said that Koreans remembering the Philippines and staying here for one year “is a commitment that we will never forget.”

Since their arrival here in December last year, the contingent has already completed the repair and rehabilitation of 91 classrooms. More repairs are expected in the next seven months.

“But more than just a building, which we can lose at some other time, the memory of your one year stay here in the province of Leyte and the Philippines will be like the sun that we will always remember,” he said.

"Even after you leave, every time we rise in the morning we will remember you. And whenever we sing and we raise our Philippine flag we will remember the sight of the sun that shines shared by our brothers from the Republic of Korea,” he added.

DepEd regional director Yu said that the newly-repaired RELC would benefit some 31,593 teachers who will be trained in the venue and staying at its dormitories.

“We are deeply honored to be recipient of this rebuilding effort made by our Korean brother. We are amazed by your generosity, your industry and the social consciousness you’ve showed us with the restoration of this RELC,” she cited.

She urged that the rebuilding project be deemed as manifestation of the “strengthening of ties and a signal for continues care and support for our country’s people and their aspiration” instead as repayment of the blood shed by Filipino soldiers during the Korean War.

She disclosed that of the 7,500 Filipinos sent during the Korean War, 112 were killed, 113 wounded and 16 went missing.

The ceremony ended with dance presentations of selected members of the Araw Contingent, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) engineers and selected pupils of an elementary school in Leyte.

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