THE Philippine School for the Deaf (PSD) in Pasay City officially opened the doors of its new student dormitory, as the Embassy of Japan formally turned over the two-story building in a ceremony last October 28.
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 to decline more than a half of applicants annually, as several students coming from distant parts of the country had faced serious challenges in arranging accommodation.
To address the issue, the Japanese Embassy provided a grant amount of $156,127, or approximately P8 million, to PSD for the construction of a new edifice. Along with the renovation of its existing dormitory, the new structure expands the school’s capacity to accommodate close to 100 students.
In the ceremony, Economic Minister Daisuke Nihei 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.
Nihei led the ceremonial turnover, along with Assistant Secretary Christopher Lawrence Arnuco of the Department of Education and Vice Mayor Boyet Ding Del Rosario of Pasay City. Also in attendance were First Secretary Chihiro Kanno and Third Secretary Yumi Yamada from the embassy, other officials from DepEd Pasay City local government unit officials, school principal and staff members, students and parents.
The project was approved in 2019 by the embassy, as part of Japan’s official development assistance through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects. 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.
Image credits: Embassy of Japan