ILOILO City—In a bid to empower communities through education and civic inclusion, the Iloilo provincial government and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are doubling efforts to address critical needs, notably enhancing literacy among young learners and expanding the National ID registration in schools.
The Bulig Eskwela (BES) Basa Program, spearheaded by the provincial government’s Education Core Group (EDCORE), recently gathered pilot local government units (LGUs) to discuss scaling the program’s impact.
Meanwhile, the PSA’s mobile campaign has brought National ID services directly to students and school staff in Negros Occidental, ensuring no citizen is left behind in the national database.
Education focal persons from the towns of Carles, Dingle, Janiuay, Lambunao, Oton, and San Miguel attended the BESBasa orientation, which outlined the program’s partnership framework and sustainability strategies.
Provincial administrator Dr. Raul Banias affirmed the provincial government’s commitment to the initiative, emphasizing that the program would continue beyond the current school year.
“Rest assured that we will sustain this program even beyond this school year,” Banias said, citing Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr.’s strong advocacy for education as a cornerstone of Iloilo’s development.
Banias also stressed that the program’s success hinges on proactive leadership. “The program is leader-centric. Without the active support of mayors, even supervisors and principals cannot make it work. That’s why the governor is leading by example,” he explained.
Pilot LGUs shared positive results from the program’s use of the Oral Graphic Symbolic Language (OGSL) method, which has significantly improved reading proficiency among elementary learners. Participants outlined next steps to enhance collaboration and expand the program’s reach to more communities.
In Negros Occidental, the PSA extended its services to Handumanan National High School and two elementary schools, successfully registering 184 students and school staff over two days.
PSA-Negros Occidental Provincial Focal Person Aira Camille de la Banda explained that the campaign also includes information dissemination and plans to integrate the Birth Registration Project with help from local civil registries.
Supervising Statistical Specialist Diesah Biaoco expressed optimism about expanding the campaign to more schools, emphasizing its role in promoting the Philippine Identification System.
“These efforts aim to bring the benefits of the National ID System closer to the people, especially students and educators,” Biaoco said.
Both initiatives underscore a multi-faceted approach to empowering communities, addressing foundational needs such as literacy and identity documentation.