MANILA — Quezon City (QC) Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte proposed a closer coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the city to better provide for the educational needs of its residents.
In a statement released Saturday, Belmonte said such synchronization would enable the local government to identify which school infrastructure projects must be prioritized in terms of planning, funding and construction without breaching certain government regulations.
For instance, Belmonte noted that she learned recently that DepEd is not authorized to fund selected projects like facilities for purposes of teaching Alternative Learning System (ALS).
“It’s the same with the construction of auditorium. DepEd merely relies on the city government to build such projects for them,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte added that the DepEd and local government units (LGUs) should work together, wherein the department builds classrooms while LGUs provide other facilities that students need to acquire holistic education.
“So we should have closer coordination for us to know if this is the responsibility of DepEd or the responsibility of local government. Such kind of close coordination is needed,” Belmonte said.
In connection with this, 4th District Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Jr. funded the renovation of the school auditorium and the construction of a three-story ALS building with sports facilities, and a four-story, 16-classroom building at the Don Alejandro Roces, Sr. Science Technology High School. (Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA)
