Over 53,000 chairs produced from 'hot' logs

06 June 2014

More public schools benefit from new armchairs manufactured from confiscated logs as production sites of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) continue to produce them.

As of May this year, a total of 53,876 armchairs have been produced of which 52,956  have been distributed to various schools in Metro Manila and the CARAGA region in Mindanao.

On Friday, June 6, a total of 200 new units were given for use of students of New Era Elementary School in Tandang Sora, Quezon City.

Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA Director General, led the turn over of furniture together with Department of Education (DEpEd) Secretary Armin Luistro and Quezon City officials led by Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and Representative Kit Belmonte.

"Through its skilled workers, TESDA will always be willing to use its expertise by churning out new school armchairs," he said.

"We hope that this initiative will help in giving students in public schools the learning environment they deserve," Villanueva added.

Called the PNoy Bayanihan Project, it put to good use the logs confiscated in the provinces by turning them into armchairs.

The project, which was launched in 2012, had as partners TESDA, DepEd, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

The DENR processed the logs into materials ready for manufacture, while TESDA established production sites in Metro Manila and CARAGA. Through its training-cum-production strategy, the agency trains the youth in carpentry and cabinet making to produce the chairs.

PAGCOR provided the funds to purchase equipment to be used in the project, and DepEd takes charge of distributing the armchairs to school beneficiaries.

In Metro Manila, various schools in Taguig City received a total of 2,500 armchairs so far; Pasig City had 2,000; Paranaque City and Pasay City got 1,200 units each; and, Quezon City got 500 units.

In the CARAGA region, Agusan del Sur got 13,212 units; Agusan del Norte received 13,315 units; Surigao del Sur got 10,564 units; and Surigao del Norte got 8,465 units.  

Leading food chain Jollibee Foods Corporation also pitched in P1 million as seed fund for the target production of 1,785 units of chairs.