BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar — Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday reiterated the importance of reading literacy among schoolchildren in building a good foundation of lifelong learning.

The Vice President on Wednesday attended the Brigada Pagbasa Summit held at the St. Mary’s College here.

“This school year, the Brigada Pagbasa national movement for reading became even more relevant as we transitioned to face-to-face learning and strived to recover the learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic,” Duterte told education stakeholders attending the event.

Duterte said the reading campaign complements what was already launched during the previous administration.

“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education launched an after-school reading program in response to the DepEd 3B Initiative or the Bawat Bata Bumabasa under Department Memorandum 173 Series of 2019 under the administration of Sec. Liling Briones,” she said.

The summit also enabled Duterte to appreciate initiatives of the schools division to upgrade the reading literacy of schoolchildren. The initiatives include Project Aklat, Aba, Kada Pagbasa, and Catch UP Program for Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic (Cup for 3Rs).

“I was truly appreciative sa nakita ko sa ginawa ninyo para sa inyong kabataan dito sa probinsya ng Easter Samar dahil nandyan kayo para tulungan sila na matutong magbasa because that is the foundation of what I said earlier— lifelong learning and that education will lift them out of poverty,” Duterte said.

Duterte, who is also the Secretary of Education, also thanked the teaching force for implementing programs aimed at resolving difficulties in reading, which she described as factors that may “lose confidence in their learning ability.”

“It’s important that as teachers, as professionals, as public service providers, you protect your integrity and maintain your professionalism, as students look up to you as role models. Your words and actions show your students how to behave in public and social settings, act and treat others when they interact, and navigate life’s challenges with dignity and strength of character,” she said.

The literacy development, Duterte added, is a product of ‘bayanihan’ and commitment of various stakeholders who believe in the positive outcomes of reading proficiency to the learners.

“The tagline, “Sama-sama, tulong-tulong sa pagtataguyod ng kultura sa pagbasa,” is a testament to the Filipino’s Bayanihan spirit, where community members contribute by promoting a culture of reading and helping inculcate a growth mindset among Filipino children and youth,” Duterte said.

“Let me thank our community volunteers, our parents, our local government leaders, including our barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan leaders, our private sector donors, our development partners, and civil society organizations for helping us improve the reading proficiency of our learners, build their confidence in their ability to learn and therefore arrest the drop out rates this school year through the Brigada Pagbasa program,” she added. OVP MEDIA