In ceremonies attended by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and Southern Leyte Gov. Rosette Lerias, executives of the country’s largest oil refining and marketing company were joined by top officials of a consortium of companies in the energy sector and other institutions to witness the turnover of the first batch of houses in the new community.
Dubbed the "Tulong Kapwa GK-Energy Village," the community is being built on a 3.5-hectare property and will have 100 colorfully painted houses, a multipurpose hall and day-care center, a basketball court, and programs on livelihood, health and nutrition, child and youth development, and values formation.
Gawad Kalinga was tapped to oversee the building of the community, with the land and site development being provided by the Southern Leyte provincial government and the Liloan municipal government.
In his remarks during the turnover program, Petron chairman Nicasio Alcantara cited the public-private partnership that moved from providing short-term relief assistance to establishing a long-term program that will help get the province back on its feet.
"The Tulong Kapwa GK-Energy Village represents the wholehearted response of business, government and civil society to make collective action work in turning tragedy into triumph," said Alcantara.
The Tulong Kapwa GK Energy Village is the long-term response of the business community to the call of the Department of Energy (DOE) in helping rebuild Southern Leyte.
On the first half of February, two major landslides hit the province, the more massive one covering almost the entire village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard town.
One hundred of these families will become new homeowners once the Tulong Kapwa GK-Energy Village is completed.
This community is the result of a first-of-a-kind partnership organized by the DOE and managed by Petron Foundation, together with the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp.
Apart from Petron Corp. and Petron Foundation, other donors to this program include CalEnergy International Ltd., China National Offshore Oil Co., Kepco Phils., Manila Economic and Cultural Office and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Marubeni Corp., Mirant Phils., National Power Corp., National Transmission Corp., Nido Petroleum Phils. Pty. Ltd., Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Electricity Market Corp., Salcon Power Corp., and San Roque Power Corp.
In particular, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office focused its assistance on the building of the Taiwan School of San Francisco in Southern Leyte.
Dr. Hsin-Hsing Wu, Taiwan representative to the Philippines, led the dignitaries in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school in the neighboring town of San Francisco, together with Lerias and Mayor Loraine Asares.
Lotilla commended again the generosity of the donors for putting up the school, which he hoped will stand for the spirit of solidarity and goodwill in the face of tragedy and provide hope for a better tomorrow for the children and the people of San Francisco.
Petron is helping coordinate the building of the schools and complementing it with other classroom fixtures and the provision of support programs for the children and members of the parent-teacher-community association through its Petron Foundation.
In welcoming the soon-to-be students of the school, Alcantara quoted the late Mahatma Gandhi, who said, "If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children."