Japan turns over two-storey building to PSD in Pasay City
THE Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) in Pasay City officially opened the doors of its new student dormitory, as the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines formally turned over the two-storey building in a ceremony last 28 October 2022.
The new dormitory building was completed through “The Project for the Construction of Dormitory Building for the Philippine School for the Deaf in Pasay City.” The project was approved in 2019 by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, as part of Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) through the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The only government-owned institution for the deaf in the country, the PSD is a semi-residential school that can provide accommodation to students. However, due to the limited capacity of the dormitory, the school had regrettably had to decline more than a half of applicants annually. Many students coming from further parts of the country had faced serious challenges in arranging accommodation. To address this issue, the Embassy of Japan provided a grant amount of USD 156,127 or approximately PHP 8 million to PSD for construction of a new dormitory. The construction of the new building, along with the renovation of its existing dormitory, expands the school’s capacity to accommodate close to 100 students.
In the ceremony, Economic Minister NIHEI Daisuke of the Embassy of Japan reiterated the importance of empowerment. He encouraged the students to pursue their dreams and expressed his optimism for their success in the future.
As the top ODA donor for the Philippines, the Government of Japan launched the GGP scheme in the Philippines in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engage in grassroots activities. At present, 553 grassroots projects have been implemented by the GGP. Japan believes that these projects will strengthen the friendship between Japan and the Philippines and contribute to sustaining strategic partnerships between the two countries.
Economic Minister NIHEI Daisuke led the ceremonial turn-over, along with Department of Education Assistant Secretary Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, and Pasay City Vice Mayor Boyet Ding Del Rosario . Also in attendance were First Secretary KANNO Chihiro and Third Secretary YAMADA Yumi from the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, other DepEd officials, Pasay City LGU officials, school principal and staffs, students and their parents.
Note: Grant Amount: USD 156,127; Dollar Rate 1 USD = PHP 51.3 (as of June 11, 2019)
