Serving as the home of the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) in the region, Saint Louis University (SLU), through Rev. Fr. Gilbert B. Sales, CICM, PhD, SLU President and PEAC-CAR Regional Program Director, spearheaded the 2024 Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) Regional Orientation Conference today, 01 August 2024. Held at the Fr. Francis Gevers Hall, SLU Main Campus, the event welcomed school division superintendents, principals, school representatives, and educational leaders.
The conference addressed the implementation of key programs for the upcoming school year 2024-2025 in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). These programs include the Junior High School Educational Service Contracting (ESC), Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS), and the Senior High School Voucher Program.
Rev. Fr. Sales, in his opening remarks, emphasized PEAC-CAR’s dedication and commitment to providing quality basic education to learners in the region. He also assured participating schools that the PEAC Regional Secretariat will collaborate closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office and the PEAC National Secretariat to ensure the efficient handling of information for prompt action and compliance.
Mr. Bronzon Patrick Del Rosario, Head of the Certification Unit, provided updates on the GASTPE initiative’s achievements, highlighting that over two million students benefited from the program in the last school year. Moreover, Mr. Eimann Evarola, Head of the Information Technology and Information Management Unit, discussed Information Security and Data Privacy Protection, educating attendees on safeguarding personal information of students and teachers.
During the event, the PEAC Certification Unit together with DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Dr. Estela Cariño and SLU’s Executive Assistant to the President Prof. Joselito Gutierrez, PhD recognized schools that achieved certified status under the ESC program. These include Assumption Academy of Mayoyao, Inc., Baguio Patriotic High School, Inc., Catholic High School of Pilar, Abra, Inc., Don Bosco School of Baguio City, Inc., Luba-Tubo Catholic High School, Inc., Our Lady of Lourdes High School of Manabo, Abra, Inc., Queen of Peace School of Canan, Inc., Saint Louis High School of Balatoc, Inc., Saint Theresita’s High School of Pinukpuk, Inc., St. James High School of Mountain Province, Inc., Saint Louis School of Sablan, Inc., St. Micahel’s Academy, Rizal, Inc., The Ifugao Academy, Inc., and The Saint Jose Seminary.
In the afternoon session of the conference, Dr. Cariño expressed her contentment with the collaborative relationship between public and private schools, noting the importance of mutual support for the benefit of the region.
Additionally, Mr. Evarola provided an in-depth discussion on the GASTPE Monitoring Activity and billing documentation processing for the Enterprise Information System, ESC Information Management System, and SHS Voucher Management System. He highlighted the proper procedures for selecting ESC grantees, the terms of ESC grants, and the criteria for voucher program recipients.
This conference is part of SLU’s broader mission to support Philippine schools in promoting academic excellence and it aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. It also underscores the CEAP Advocacy for Justice and Peace and the CICM Advocacy for Justice. (Article by Mae Janica Palkit, UIO Volunteer | Photos by Antonio Lim, Jr., UIO Volunteer)
