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Pop singer and UNICEF Ambassador Gary Valenciano personally visited Barangay Don Panaca, a depressed village inhabited mostly by indigenous peoples, to meet with village officials and know the plight of the children there.
Valenciano gave free school bags, notebooks and books to the elementary pupils in simple rites witnessed by town and village officials as well as parents of children who belong to the Manobo tribe.
The UNICEF ambassador also led the supplemental feeding activity for malnourished children in the village.
The activity was supported by the local government units of Magpet and non-government organizations.
Esther Amores-Roque, the town’s executive secretary, said UNICEF choose Don Panaca as a beneficiary of supplemental feeding and school supplies distribution since it is the most depressed among the 37 villages of the town.
Valenciano also visited the UNICEF community radio in nearby Pangao-an village which was established eight years ago.
The community radio serves as an advocacy tool for the promotion of programs on children’s rights and welfare.
Roque said the visit has given the LGU of Magpet a chance to be known in the international community to generate various support for children in the locality.
Valenciano also visited the formerly war-stricken villages of Dugong and Dungo-an in Mlang town to see the present situation of the children who were once victims of armed conflict. (Williamor A. Magbanua/MindaNews)
