CAMP LEON KILAT, Tanjay City - Alternative Learning System (ALS) Trainors, composed of nine military personnel from the Army’s 302 Brigade, 11th and 79th Infantry Battalions, continue on conducting Basic Literacy Program (BLP), teaching 16 illiterates from Sitio Oway-oway, Barangay Sta Cruz Viejo, Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, every Saturday and Sunday.

The beneficiaries of the Basic Literacy Program (BLP), aging 14 to 56 years old of the said place which is almost 10 kilometers away from the Barangay proper, were taught how to read, write, identify the Alphabetong Filipino and learn the basic addition and subtraction by the ALS Trainors of the Philippine Army, ALS coordinators and mobile teachers of the DepEd, Tanjay City Division headed by Mrs. Aida C. Bongcasan, ALS Supervisor.

The classes started last May 22, 2012, conducted every Saturday and Sunday and will end on the last week of September this year. The learners will be allowed to take the Accreditation and Equivalency (A & E) Test for Elementary grades accreditation by the DepEd national on October 2012. The ALS Department of the DepEd, Tanjay City Division will also administer an evaluation and pre-examination on the 1st week of September 2012 to the students in order to determine their competency before allowing them to take the test.

Mrs. Juanita Cacas, 56 years old, a resident, said that she is very interested and very happy to undergo the BLP teaching program because she wants to know how to read and write most especially since she cannot even write her own name. She also shared that she only reached the 1st grade due to financial problems.

Meanwhile, Colonel Francisco M. Patrimonio, 302 Brigade Commander said that the ALS is part of the Army Literacy Patrol System (ALPS) of the Philippine Army, which aims to teach our underprivileged brothers and sisters, cultural minorities and out of school youth (OSY) in the field who failed to attend classes by reason of poverty or living very far from the school.

PR by the 302 INFANTRY (ACHIEVER) BRIGADE, 3ID