Parents and pupils held a protest rally in front of a public school in Quezon City Tuesday morning. This was after Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. closed the school to give way to the construction of a new sports complex.
The normal flag raising ceremony for the opening of classes at Belarmino Elementary School in Barangay Milagrosa in Project 4 district, was transformed into a demonstration as pupils and parents rallied in front of the school's gates to stop the proposed construction of the sports complex.
"Our call should not fall on deaf ears. Here, we are fighting for our children's future. We believe that when our children study in this school, they will be monitored well by the teachers," one of the parents said.
"We do not agree to what the administration tries to tell us, we believe that students' education is more important than a playground. Now, we call all parents and children in Belarmino to unite with us, since we are fighting for our children's education," another parent said.
The protesters said Belmonte shut down the school to put up a sports complex. "Belmonte plans to convert this [Belarmino Elementary School] into a sports complex," a school alumnus said.
The local government tried to convince the parents to send their children to a nearby school. Parents, however, said that Pura Kalaw Elementary School in Project 4 is already congested. They added that additional pupils will only worsen the situation.
Another alumnus, who joined the protest rally, said the school has produced good students. She even added that Belarmino had students that excelled both in academics and sports.
She explained that during the consultation between Belmonte and the parents, the mayor assured parents that the school will not close yet. The mayor also said that the local government is only responsible for the funding of the project and not its implementation.
Parents said they already sought the help of Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus but he allegedly gave them an endorsement and a recommendation only.