U.S. envoy Leslie Bassett Visits Mindanao, Philippines
In a continuing mission to connect with Mindanao communities, U.S. envoy Leslie Bassett visited Zamboanga City and Basilan/Sulu recently, handing over to community leaders five new school buildings funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Bassett presented the symbolic keys to the fully furnished two-classroom buildings in Malamawi, Basilan to local community leaders. The buildings were constructed under USAID’s Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills 2 (EquALLS2) program, with corporate partner Petron Foundation.
The three schools in Jolo and two in Basilan, were jointly constructed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Joint Operations Task Force-Philippines.
These five schools will have improved water supply and sanitation facilities through USAID’s Alliance for Mindanao Off-Grid Renewable Energy Program – Phase III (AMORE 3), according to the embassy.
The embassy noted that USAID has assisted in the construction of a total 120 classrooms in the Western and Central Mindanao regions and in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) since 2008.