SM pledges 8 school buildings to DepEd

The SM group of Filipino-Chinese shopping and banking magnate Henry Sy Sr. has pledged seven two-classroom, one-storey school buildings to the Department of Education (DepEd).

Aside from the seven school buildings, the SM group – comprised of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and SM Foundation, Inc. – pledged an additional school building it will build in partnership with Deutsche Bank.

The DepEd accepted the donation of the eight school buildings worth some P9.7 million under its Adopt-A-School program, which handles assistance from the private sector to help fill the shortages in school buildings, classrooms, school furniture, and teachers in public schools.

DepEd expects construction of the school buildings to start this month and be ready for turnover to public schools by January 2009.

“I am buoyed by the enthusiasm of companies like SM and Deutsche Bank in providing for the education needs of our children,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.

The seven schools to get the school buildings – complete with furniture and equipment – are Mabalacat Community High School and Sapalibutad Elementary School, both in Pampanga; Irisan National High School and Pinsao National High School, both in Baguio; Vagres Elementary School and Mintal National High School, both in Bacolod; and Mintal National High School Tubok Annex in Davao.

The recipient of the eighth school building is Bacoor National High School’s Molino-Burol Annex in Bacoor City, Cavite.   – Rainier Allan Ronda