DepEd, Aboitiz group strengthen 'Adopt-a-School' through MOU

CEBU, Philippines - Assistance from the private sector worth over P10 billion has been generated for the country’s 44,000 public schools through the Adopt-a-School Program since it was relaunched in the middle of 2006.

Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said in his speech during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Aboitiz Group of Companies that in 2008 alone, armchairs, information and communications equipment, school buildings, scholarships and teacher training worth P11.9 million have been coursed through the Adopt-a-School program by the Aboitiz Foundation and all Aboitiz-owned companies.

Lapus said that for the first half of this year, the Adopt-a-School received the same amount of commitment by Aboitiz One, Aboitiz Foundation, and the Aboitiz Power Corporation wherein pipeline projects worth P11.5 million are waiting to be implemented and expected to benefit public schools in the next three years.

Lapus said that these projects come in the form of computer donations and refurbishment, scholarship grants, library kits and their continuous support for the annual nationwide advocacy campaign Brigada Eskwela.

Aboitiz2Go, Lapus said, has been instrumental in the successful delivery of Colgate Oral Health Care packages especially to far-flung public schools.

“We do our best to ensure that your donations reach our public school beneficiaries and that not a single centavo goes to waste or is misused,” Lapus said.

Jon Ramon Aboitiz, president of the Aboitiz Foundation, said that the greatest legacy that they can leave to Filipino children is good education.

“We believe that now, more than ever, it is incumbent upon us to prepare and properly educate the next generation of Filipinos. It is imperative that we seriously pursue this cause if we want our country to progress and to improve the standard of living of our fellowmen,” Aboitiz said.

He added that through education, they can help open wider the doors of opportunity for the youth, to build them a stronger foundation to improve their quality of life, to mold them to be an asset to society, and to train them to be globally competitive.

Aboitiz said that they stand by their commitment to support DepEd through infrastructure building.

So far, the Aboitiz Foundation has constructed 215 classrooms nationwide and that they have committed to build at least 20 classrooms annually in areas where their companies are operating.

Aboitiz added that in the area of information and technology, they will continue to donate at least 100 brand new computer sets, complete with licenses and printers every year, to public schools around the country.

So far, they have donated 872 computer sets.

Aboitiz further said that they will continue with their program of refurbishing at least five computer laboratories in public schools annually.

So far, they have already refurbished 57 computer laboratories nationwide.

He added that to date, a total of 328 classrooms in 96 public elementary schools in 32 municipalities in Cebu province have been enlisted and repaired through the rehabilitation of public schools programs since 2004.

For this year, they are refurbishing 51 classrooms in 15 schools. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)