(left photo) Ambassador Belinda M. Ante (second row, third from right) welcomed the students of the Learning Sanctuary who visited the Philippine Embassy’s Sentro Rizal on 8 October 2020. (right photo) The students show off their papercraft creations at Sentro Rizal.

The Philippine Embassy in Vientiane, Laos and its Sentro Rizal once again hosted the Learning Sanctuary during its second visit to Sentro Rizal on 8 October 2020 bringing fourteen (14) students and three (3) teachers, led by Mr. Jamin Rodero, Pastor of the Bible Baptist Church in Vientiane, Laos.

The group was welcomed by Ambassador Belinda M. Ante who mentioned the observation of National Indigenous People’s Month in October 2020, which would also be highlighted during the school’s visit. A presentation on select Indigenous Peoples’ of the Philippines, specifically the B’laan, Gaddang, Ibaloi, Ifugao, and Mangyan, which showed the different traditional attire, as well as interesting facts of each group.

The students work in groups to create papercrafts that were provided by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts.

This was followed by the showing of three (3) videos on Philippine folk tales: The Turtle and the Monkey, The First Pineapple, and The Legend of Mayon Volcano. Finally, the children enjoyed a group activity making paper crafts of Lapu-Lapu, the Rizal Monument, and the Banaue Rice Terraces from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Learning Sanctuary, which provides quality education at a low cost for Filipinos and the Lao, is accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) and has partnered with the Bible Baptist Academy in Cavite (main campus) and its extension school in Zamboanga for the processing of the students’ records in the Philippines. The program currently has nine (9) students who are taught Filipino, English, Math, Science, Arts, Physical Education, and Values, among others, by five (5) teachers from Mondays to Saturdays. End