MANDAUE CITY, CEBU — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Saturday simultaneously launched the “PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees” in key areas in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who led the launching of the program at the Mandaue City Sports Complex here, said the initiative intends to provide students with one million bags containing school supplies and dental kits, plant one million trees for environmental sustainability, and promote family planning among parents.

“We hope that in the six years, while we are the Office of the Vice President, the campaign will reach one million children and one million parents,” Duterte said in the Visayan language.

The PagbaBAGo campaign aims to instill the importance of basic education in Filipino children and encourage them to take advantage of its power to change lives.

The campaign was inspired by Duterte’s advocacy when she was still mayor of Davao in 2016.

The advocacy also covers responsible parenthood.

The new component of the campaign was dental hygiene and environmental care through tree planting.

“It is very important that we take care of our environment now for the benefit of the next generation,” she added.

The OVP has partnered with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Education (DEPED) in the implementation of the campaign.

A total of 1,000 Grade 1 and Grade 4 learners in Cebu, Isabela, Dagupan, and Zamboanga were given the Pagbabago backpacks.

In Bacolod, 1,019 learners received backpacks, and 1,009 learners also received backpacks in Surigao.

In Tacloban, the campaign distributed 1,015 backpacks to learners and 1,008 in Region V.

A total of 1,002 learners from Davao received the backpacks, while 1,006 learners received them in BARMM.

A ceremonial tree-planting activity was also conducted from each OVP Satellite Office, including the Public Assistance Division Extension Office in Lipa, Batangas.

In her speech, Duterte, who is also Education Secretary, reminded parents of the responsibility to ensure that their children get the education that they need and are they are protected from the forces of criminality, drugs, insurgency, and terrorism that may destroy their dreams and future. OVP MEDIA