DepEd RO1 Lauds Bonuan Boquig ES’s Victory

City of San Fernando, La Union – Dr. Alma Ruby C. Torio, Regional Director of Department of Education (DepEd) Region 1 commended Bonuan Boquig Elementary School in Dagupan City for bagging two special awards and ranking as third place for over-all category of the 2015 National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools. The awarding ceremony was held at the Fisher Mall Events Center, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City on November 23, 2015.

Out of 46 private and 46 public participatory schools nationwide, Bonuan Boquig ES was declared first place on the two special categories, the Nestle Water Leadership Award (NWL) and the Meralco Energy Leadership (MEL) Award. The NWL Award is established in order to recognize and promote solutions, practices and initiatives of schools on water. The MEL Award recognizes schools that promote practices and initiatives in electrical safety, energy efficiency and conservation.

Some of the schools best practices include the creation of Solar Powered library, use of solar powered bulbs and Solar Water pump wherein a solar panel powers a motorized pump that discharges water into the system which floods and then drains the gravel bed to grow vegetables.

It was also recalled that the school emerged as last year’s Best Implementer of the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. The backyard garden was built two years ago by school Principal Manuel Ferrer. Ferrer crafted on a project to turn the empty spaces of the school yard into a vegetable garden. The school also uses a shredder to cut up dried grass which is fed to vermicast worms. It has also a 60-square-meter greenhouse, where vegetable seedlings are propagated.

These are just some of their innovations which led to the conferment of their special awards. Bonuan Boquig ES garnered third place for Overall Category of the national search.

Now on its fourth leg since its launch in 2009, the search continues to encourage schools to establish sustainable and eco-friendly schools to give recognition to the environmental initiatives of schools over the country. The promotion of this program has been enshrined as a priority in the ASEAN Environment Year 2015 with a theme “Empowering the Youth into a Clean and Green ASEAN”. The program is in partnership with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), DepED, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), SMART Communications, One Meralco Foundation, Inc., Nestle Philippines. Inc., and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).