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2011 Speeches (As delivered)
 

 

MESSAGE

BY

 

First Secretary HARUHIRO JONO

ON THE OCCASION OF THE

 

TURNOVER CEREMONY OF

The Project for Construction of School Building

for Tumana Elementary School

 

21 January 2011

Santa Maria, Bulacan

 

 

Distinguished guests

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat! (Good morning to all of you!) First of all, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of you for your warm welcome. It is a great pleasure for me to join you here today for the Turn-over Ceremony for the Project of the Construction of School Building for Tumana Elementary School.

 

This project, whose grant contract was signed in July last year, is a testimony or proof of our strong conviction that became a reality through concerted actions: the conviction of both the Japanese and the Filipino people that children need a good environment to learn many things in the world for their bright future; and the reality that is the completion of this new and solid school building.

 

With the grant assistance of approximately 2.3 million pesos, this three-classroom building with 150 armchairs now stands before us. We have heard about the conditions that the Tumana Elementary School has been experiencing, such as using makeshift structures for some of the classes. I can also imagine with great sympathy the challenges the school management had to go through to try to provide the students with quality education in spite of a shortage of classrooms.

 

I am therefore very glad that the Government of Japan through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects was able to help change this situation. Now, I hope the additional classrooms will provide a better learning environment for the students of Tumana Elementary School so that they can concentrate more on their study, be inspired to study harder and reach their highest potential.

 

In closing, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of you who have painstakingly worked for the completion of this project. Your commitment and dedication have been vital for the success of this undertaking. I hope that this school building will remind us of what can be achieved through the collective efforts of the Japanese and the Filipino people. I sincerely hope that, through the success of this project, friendship between the two peoples as well as strategic partnership between the two nations will be further strengthened.

 

Thank you very much for your attention and Mabuhay !