VP Duterte together with OVP personnel spearheaded the activity as part of the nationwide Brigada Eskwela program of the Department of Education (DepEd). The annual initiative mobilizes volunteers from various sectors to help clean, repair, and prepare public schools ahead of the new school year.
This year’s Brigada Eskwela carries the theme, “Bayanihan sa Paaralan: Nagkakaisa para sa Kaayusan at Kaalaman,” highlighting the importance of community cooperation in creating safe, clean, and conducive learning environments for students.
According to the OVP, the activity seeks to strengthen collaboration among key stakeholders, including parents, teachers, local government units, civil society organizations, private institutions, alumni, and community volunteers in support of quality education.
Diosdado P. Macapagal Elementary School serves 3,904 learners from Kindergarten to Grade 6 and has 66 classrooms. The school primarily caters to students from urban poor communities.
Apart from the Quezon City activity, the OVP earlier distributed cleaning and maintenance materials to San Vicente Elementary School in Barangay San Vicente and Pinyahan Elementary School in Barangay Pinyahan, both in Diliman, Quezon City.
The OVP is also scheduled to conduct a Brigada Eskwela activity at Gen. Vicente Lim Elementary School in Tondo, Manila, on June 3.
Launched in 2003, Brigada Eskwela is a nationwide volunteer initiative that promotes the Filipino value of bayanihan by encouraging communities to contribute time, labor, and resources to improve public school facilities and learning environments.
The campaign remains a vital component of school readiness efforts, helping ensure that classrooms across the country are safe, clean, and prepared to welcome millions of learners for the new academic year.