Photo By Master Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Holly | Penaranda resident and 17-year-old Mark Anthony Bartolome is assisted by U.S. Army...... read more read more
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PENARANDA, Nueva Ecija, Philippines – More than 15 Filipino volunteers received a certificate of completion after finishing a two-week Carpentry and Masonry Course held at Callos Elementary School in Penaranda, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, April 25.
Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. soldiers participating in Exercise Balikatan 2012 integrated the course into a community relations project coordinated with the school.
The project’s purpose, which started April 16, was two-fold. First, it was to complete an improvement project at Callos — repairing a leaking roof and to dig a drainage ditch to divert water from the classrooms to avoid flooding.
According to Philippine Army Sgt. Lolito K. Mina, an engineer for the 7th Infantry Division, teaming up with his U.S. counterparts to make improvements to the school benefited them, as well as the local community.
The second purpose gave an opportunity to offer a course to the volunteers of the community, which would gain them an enduring skill that could be used to conduct other improvement projects in their area.
“We volunteered for this Carpentry and Masonry Course because we wanted to learn,” said Frances Bartolome, community volunteer and also the President of the Parent Teacher’s Association at Callos Elementary School. “I want to help my neighborhood by repairing the school so our community looks better.”
Many of the community volunteers shared Bartolome’s sentiment, which inspired Philippine and U.S. service members, alike.
“It means a lot—coming out, coming home and helping out people,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Eduardo Bayle, carpenter and masonry specialist with the 871st Engineer Company and Manila native. “Teaching them things that I learned from the U.S. and bringing [that experience] back over here [are] things that could possibly help them.”
By the end of the course, the volunteers finished the drainage trench and completed two classroom ceilings at the school and started a third. Upon graduation of the course, each volunteer received a bag with all of the tools needed, along with the materials, to complete the rest of the school projects.
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2012 16:14 |
| Story ID: | 87615 |
| Location: | PENARANDA, NUEVA ECIJA, PH |
| Web Views: | 103 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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