CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela, Jan. 18 (PIA) - This capital city of Isabela will be hosting the 2020 National Festival of Talents (NFOT) on February 17-21, 2020.

The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Bureau of Learning Delivery-Student Inclusion Division (BLD-SID), will hold the 2020 NFOT with the theme "Authentic Filipino Talents and Skills: Breaking the Barriers for Inclusive Education."

Dr. Gilbert Tong, City of Ilagan schools division superintendent, said series of coordination meetings with LGU City of Ilagan officials, concerned government agencies and security personnel have already conducted to ensure the safety and comfort of the delegates coming from the 17 regions nationwide.

Tong expressed his thanks to the officials of the City Government of Ilagan for the support they extended and continue to extend for the success and peaceful conduct of the event with the support of other government agencies.

Earlier, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that the 2020 NFOT aims to "provide opportunity for learners" from the public and private secondary schools as well as learners from the Alternative Learning System (ALS) "to showcase their talents and skills through exhibitions of their products, services, and performances."

The festival will focus on language, arts, social studies, and technology and livelihood education through exhibitions of the youth's products and performances as evidence of learning.

Areas for skills exhibition include Technolympics for Technology and Livelihood Education and Technical-Vocational Livelihood; Sining Tanghalan for Music and Arts; Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL); Musabaqah for ALIVE; Sign Language and Braille Reading and Writing for learners for Visual Impairment (VI) and Hearing Impairment (HI); National Population Development for Social Studies (Araling Panlipunan); Pambansang Tagisan ng Talino for Filipino; and Science Processes and Practices On-Site Test for Science, Technology and Mathematics. (MDCT/MGE, with reports from Merlina Hernando-Malipot of MB/PIA 2-Isabela)