Negrense teacher is global awardee

Dr. George De La Cruz of Handumanan National High School, in the Division of Bacolod City, was awarded the Global Educationist Leader Award 2021 on December 5 via Zoom ceremony, together with 218 awardees from 71 countries, by the International Internship University accredited and affiliated with the World Education Organization (WEO) and International Accreditation Organization (IAO).

Dr. De La Cruz is among first batch of scholars of the Global Schools Program for its cohort training, an initiative of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in support of UNESCO’s Global Action Program on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

He is among of the180 educators from 50 countries who were selected to become Global Schools Advocates and trained for five months in 2020 for localizing and integrating global citizenship, sustainability, and 21st-century skills into school communities.

He has been recognized as Advocate of the Month by the Global Schools Program.

De La Cruz had been invited as one of the featured speakers during the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development in September 2021, and in international academic fora across Malaysia, India, Togo, Turkey, Mexico, Nigeria.

He is a certified mentor for educators who are advocates of sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all the member states of United Nations in 2015, as a “Universal Call” to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Also, Dr. De La Cruz is a recipient of the various online training courses of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (UNESCO APCEIU) since 2019 to present.

He is a recipient of the scholarship program on Cultural Education by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) through the Philippine Cultural Education Program and the Western Mindanao State University.

As proof of his dedication for community action, he organized the Barangay Felisa Community Micro Business Enterprise (BFCMBE) which is composed of 332 women whose means of livelihood is through scavenging in the city’s 10-hectare sanitary landfill.

Barangay Felisa is the city’s host community of its dumpsite. Hence, Project Basura, was established benefiting the scavenger-women as project recipients with a seed fund of P200,000 that the NCCA had granted.

Also, as an advocate, he is the founder of BAHAG-Pilipinas or Barangay Association of Health Advocates Group.

Further, Dr. De La Cruz was shortlisted for the Southeast Asian Educational Innovation Awards 2021-2022 under Teacher Category for his Project Basura.*