ANGELES CITY – Earning a perfect five-star under the Star Rating for Schools (SR4S) program, the Tacondo Elementary School in Barangay Margot here has been officially recognized as one of the safest schools in the Philippines for its road safety initiatives.
A program adopted globally to assess and address risks children face in going to the school, SR4S evaluates road safety that includes road markings and signages, pedestrian lanes, and functional railings to protect students from accidents.
“With this recognition, we have improved from a 2.5-star rating to a 5-star rating, ensuring that our 1,181 learners are safe as they enter and exit our school,” exclaimed school principal Cherry Hipolito in a media interview.
This, as she noted the significance of proper training, periodic reorientation, and continuing learning for the school staff, teachers, pupils, as well as their parents and guardians in maintaining road safety.
City Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting cited the two-year collaboration between the city government with the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., UNICEF Philippines, and civil society organization Imagine Law to calibrate council ordinance and secure funding for infrastructure improvement, signages, and other road safety measures.
She said that in February 2023, the city government enacted the Road Safety Code (Ordinance No. 663, series of 2023) that established road safety measures and outlined penalties for violations in the city.
“King road safety, deng egana-ganang requirements na kailangan banta maging safe la reng students tamu king dalan, atchu ne. Mahulaga ya ini uling it highlights itang masanting na relationship ning private and public, itang partnership da. At the same time, itang pinaka main goal na maging safe la reng anak tamu,” Cabigting said in a media interview.
Imagine Law, Unicef’s implementing partner, initiated the program with the local government units through training and discussions to help assess school environments based on international standards. Punto News Team/Media reports/FB photograb
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