MANILA, Philippines - Kris Aquino is helping fund five kindergarten classroom building projects with the help of Filinvest. Education is an advocacy shared by both Kris and Filinvest, and both feels that classroom-building is a step towards improving the situation of public elementary schools. The classroom project is to be spearheaded by Aklat Gabay Aruga Tungo sa Angat at Pag-asa Foundation (AGAPP), a project of Kris’ sister, Pinky Aquino-Abellada.
Kris’ effort is being used by AGAPP, a preschool education and literacy advocate, to construct a Silid Pangarap classroom building for the Itaas Elementary School NBP Annex (IESA) in Southville 3, Barangay Poblacion, Muntinlupa City. The AGAPP classrooms in IESA will house nearly 600 kindergarten pupils who are currently being taught at two city government-owned daycare buildings built outside the campus due to lack of classrooms in the public school.
Kris, with her son Bimby who is a kindergarten pupil himself, and her sister Pinky, visited IESA recently to inspect the project site. They were welcomed by the Southville 3 residents and IESA faculty and students, who were excited to see Kris in person. In her speech, Kris said that the AGAPP classrooms will be her legacy and will benefit many children even after her brother Pres. Benigno Aquino III has ended his term.
“When you see that kids are comfortable inside a classroom, and everything they need is provided, then they learn fast,” IESA principal Antonio Rocha said. The AGAPP classrooms for IESA will also reduce the number of kinder class shifts in a day from five to four and will allow children to go home in the afternoon. As it is, the big number of IESA kinder pupils has to be divided into many classes conducted in different three-hour shifts lasting until 6 p.m. at the daycare classrooms. Rocha said that with the additional AGAPP classrooms inside the campus, more classes will be simultaneously conducted in a day. So kinder pupils can go home by 3 p.m. Rocha, for his part, said he was overwhelmed and was happy of the generosity of Kris, AGAPP and Filinvest.
A 110-square meter lot inside IESA is now being prepared for the construction of the two Silid Pangarap classrooms of AGAPP. The Silid Pangarap is expected to be completed by September and can be used in time for the second semester that starts in October.