Pres. Arroyo's eSKWELA Project Launch

Talk about the right place at the right time, Tutubi had a rare chance to hone his rusty photojournalism skills when he chanced upon the heavily-guarded launch of eSKWELA Project Launching in Quezon City. Knowing the right people, he was also able to secure a pass that allowed him to enter through an alley with numerous Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel with their usual cynical looks. (One of them notived he brought along his camera that didn't have a security clerance from EOD-PSG so he had to proceed to the main entrance to have it checked and tagged.)



PGMA flanked by Cong. Bingbong Crisologo and QC Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista as Pres. Arroyo announced the launch of eSKWELA, something like e-learning badly needed in these islands called the Philippines to bridge deficits in education.


The president also announced the increase in P1B budget allocation for education, much needed to build more classrooms to service the bludgeoning population.

A demo of the Balik eSKWELA project with computers and multimedia was made to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo under media frenzy typical of presidential sorties.

After the brief ceremony, the president went to the nearby baranggay chapel for a dialogue with officials of five barangays. (Tutubi wasn't able to follow since those PSG personnel informed him he can no longer go back there. Also that soldier needs to be re-trained on basic courtesy)

eSkwela Project allows out-of-school youth and dropouts to enroll in the DepEd's Alternative Learning System (ALS) so they can get a high school diploma, the way Manny Pacquiao acquired his high school diploma. It uses non-formal education, computers, freeware (open source?), multimedia projectors and free Internet connectivity in four pilot sites: Quezon City, San Jose del Monte, Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City.

Songs you usually hear from NBN and other government channels rule the airwaves, posters of the president envelope the whole covered basketball court, and people for various outreach services were present particularly the People's Government Mobile Action (PGMA) offered free medical checkups, job search, free medicines and other things Tutubi didn't check out.



There was only a slight drizzle even of typhoon Chedeng was still in Batanes and Dodong's making his presence felt.

What's so unusual with the place was that the place lost its dugyot image and put on a false sense of kalinisan.

How I wish the president would pass by the place every single day so people would do away with the dugyot ways.