Sgt. Jose Castellon A Seabee assigned to Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines plays with children at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two school buildings at the Lanao Agricultural College at Barangay Lumbatan in the Lanao Del Sur municipality. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jose Castellon.

More than 800 students attend the high school and college and many of the facilities are in need of renovations. Due to limited funding at the college, facilities are run down and often in need of repairs, according to School Assistant Superintendent Paino C. Alib.

“We are so grateful for this project and all those who came together to build this for us,“ said Mamintal G. Razuman, mayor of Lumbatan City. “The children here just love it. The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), the PNP (Philippine National Police) and U.S. forces, we just thank all of you for this building.“

A team of 15 U.S. Navy Seabees, assigned to Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) partnered with the AFP and school officials to build the classrooms.

The project took six months to complete and was made possible through the cooperative efforts of the Seabees, School Superintendent Arimao S. Asum, soldiers from the Philippines 103rd Infantry Army Brigade that provided convoy security and local contractors who put up the roofing.

The seven-million-peso project includes the college's main 5,800 square-foot building and a 1,000 square-foot science building. The buildings contain eight white-and-brown classrooms already in use since December.

The structures include a septic system, electrical power distribution, lighting, fans and a generator. There is also a separate comfort room (bathroom) and prayer room, as many of the students are Muslim and wanted a room for daily prayers.

Science posters of different plants now hang on the walls, with newly-stained desks and freshly-scrubbed chalkboards.

As humanitarian projects with the AFP are a cornerstone of the JSOTF-P mission, the school was a way both militaries could help the people in the community and provide them with better facilities for their growth and education.

Officials from the college, officers with the AFP's 103rd Infantry Brigade, and members of JSOTF-P cut the ribbon in front of the school, officially turning the school over to college administrators.

At the ribbon-cutting, several prominent community leaders spoke, including Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade, who took a moment to reflect on what the construction of the school meant to him and the community.

“This is the third largest construction project in Lanao Del Sur,“ said Ardo. “These are important ties that we have with the Philippine and U.S. government. This project is an example of the progress we want to make here, and we are grateful for the military forces that helped make this progress happen.“

After the ceremony, members of the 103rd Brigade led a book donation drop off, which resulted in 1,200 science and other textbooks for the school.