By Ninfa B Quirante

Tacloban City (10 October) -- Samar DTI distributed some 20 personal computer (PC) units to Mag-ubay High School and Calbayog City High School last October 6 as part of the Personal Computers for Public High schools Project (PCPS) Phase III.

The simple ceremony was attended by Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento and Congressman Reynaldo Uy along with DTI Provincial Director Ruth Thelma Samonte.

Speaking before a gathering of students and teachers, Sarmiento said that the installation of the PCs is relevant because he is trying to promote Calbayog City as the next ICT hub. He added that some investors have expressed willingness to invest in his city for the technology.

Sarmiento added that the modern times require computer literacy, saying that even buying in drugstores and grocery stores involved computers.

Congressman Reynaldo Uy likewise extolled the merits of computer literacy and urged students to take advantage of the high-tech facilities offered for free.

Samonte told PIA that 37 high schools all over Samar Division have been installed with a total of 500 PCs mentioning Calbayog City, Jiabong and Hinabangan as recipients among others.

This Saturday, October 14, 2006, another ten (10) PCs will be installed at the Clarencio Calagos Memorial School of Fisheries in Calbayog City.

To promote mastery of PC manipulation, another computer training will be held for teachers of the schools that received the PCs.

DTI said that Phase II of the PCPS project distributed PCs to some LGUs in Samar while Phase I was concentrated on distributing PCs to public schools.