PCGNY.net | News Release

CLASSROOM GALING SA MAMAMAYANG PILIPINO ABROAD (CGMA) PROJECT RECEIVES STRONG SUPPORT FROM FILIPINO AMERICANS IN NORTHEAST USA

PHILIPPINE CONSULATE - NEWS RELEASE
04 July 2006

NEW YORK --- The Education sector in the Philippines, through the Classroom Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad (CGMA) Project, continue to benefit from the generosity of the Filipino Americans from the Tri-State Area having completely funded the construction of a total of twenty two (22) classrooms in 2005. Thirteen (13) of these classrooms were coursed through the Philippine Consulate General, New York.

For the first quarter of 2006, construction of two (2) classrooms was completed and donated to the Central Bongao Elementary School in Tawi-Tawi by the Association of Philippine Physicians in New York (APPNY) and UPSILON Sigma Phi Alumni Association. Another classroom is being donated to Oriental Mindoro to benefit Mangyan children by the Philippine American Association of Connecticut (PAAC). The latest donations received to date came from the Federation of Philippine Societies in New Jersey donating one (1) classroom in the Ilocos Region. and the Federation of Independent Legions of Immigrant Philippine-Americans in the North Americas (F.I.L.I.P.I.N.A.S.) which also donated $4,000.00 for the construction of one classroom in Paranaque, Metro Manila.The proposals to have these classrooms built in Ilocos and Parañaque are still being validated by the CGMA Office in Manila.

A flagship program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, CGMA addresses the acute shortage of classrooms in public schools, particularly in remote areas of the country. Of the total classrooms donated by FilAm from the Tri-State area, eighteen (18) of those were realized through the efforts of the Philippine Consulate General which started to promote the project to the Filipino community in 2004. To date, the Consulate General has received a total amount of $75,584.00 of which $72,000 has already been remitted to the CGMA. A donor also donated $1,000.00 to the ABS-CBN Educational TV program in Inug-ug Elementary School in Pagalungan, Maguindanao. A remaining balance of $2,584 is still with the Consulate General awaiting additional donation from a FilAm organization to complete the amount of $4,000 which is the total cost for construction of one (1) classroom.

Fundraising continues for the CGMA Project with a 2006 Golf Invitational Tournament.

To help raise funds for more classrooms, the Association of Philippine Physicians in New York (APPNY) and the UP UPSILON Sigma Phi Fraternity, NE Chapter are holding its "2006 Golf Invitational Fund Raising Event" to be held at the Douglaston Golf Course, 6320 Marathon Parkway, Douglaston, NY 11363 (Tel. no. 718-224-6566) on Sunday, 17 September 2006.

For more information, please click the event flyer.