Two of the most dynamic and goal-oriented government offices have teamed up to bring road safety campaign right in the doorstep of every classroom in Bicol region.
Bound by a common goal of preserving and protecting the lives of children, Land Transportation Office (LTO) Regional Director Noreen Bernadette San Luis-Lutey and Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Director Ramon Fiel G. Abcede collaborated to integrate road safety education through the Students Today, Road Users Tomorrow (STRUT) project in Bicol.
Lutey successfully launched STRUT in Naga City in 2014 to raise the awareness of the public, particularly of students regarding safety on the road with the mission of dropping the percentage of road accidents particularly those involving the youth.
Since then, LTO has initiated numerous information caravans, visiting every nook and corner of the region including even the remote island provinces just to disseminate road safety information.
This year, LTO is taking its campaign to another level by partnering with DepEd regional office and the DepEd schools division office in Camarines Sur.
DepEd Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Susan Collano said that the partnership was inked out of a common advocacy to preserve and protect the lives of many.
“Director Lutey and I have already presented this concept as one of our best practices way back our Salamin-Diwa sa Paglilingkod (SALDIWA) training course in the career executive service board. We have the same advocacy so we thought of coming up with this idea. But more than that, I would like to emphasize that this is a perfect example of collaboration, engagement and partnership between the two government agencies with the same advocacy for life,” Collano added.
As part of its continuing commitment to promote safety and comfort to the motorists, LTO seeks to ensure that innocent lives are spared from any untoward incidents particularly those caused by ignorance on the existing basic road courtesies and safety laws.
The integration of road safety education in the curriculum is an innovative intervention. It seeks to put in place or integrate precautionary measures to promote road safety through the integration of modules to the basic education program particularly in the senior high school curriculum.
“The program cuts across year levels. It covers Kinder, Grades 3 and 5 and the Senior High School. We are still finalizing the modules. We want to ensure that all of the components of the program are also geared towards disaster risk reduction management since it involves hazards along the road,” Collano concluded. (LSMacatangay-PIA5/Camarines Sur)
