In tayasan, negros oriental Coca-Cola Foundation turns over its 100th Little Red Schoolhouse

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – The Coca-Cola Foundation turned over yesterday its 100th Little Red Schoolhouse, this time to the Matuog Elementary School in Tayasan, Negros Oriental.

The Little Red Schoolhouse (LRS) project is a flagship project of Coca-Cola that aims to give back to the Filipino community. It assists public schools in remote, underserved communities where children have yet to benefit from complete elementary education, according to Eryn Krysel E. de Leon of Ogilvy Public Relations Manila.

The Matuog Elementary School in Tayasan was severely damaged by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked many parts of the province and other nearby areas in the Visayas last February 06, leaving a trail of devastation behind.

According to Fr. Salvador Mariño, parish priest of Tayasan who celebrated the Holy Mass and led the blessing of the schoolhouse, a child had perished in the rubble of the old schoolhouse that was brought down by the earthquake.

The schoolhouse in Brgy. Matuog of Tayasan officially culminated Coca-Cola company’s pledge to erect 100 Little Red Schoolhouse as part of its 100 years celebration in the Philippines.

The Little Red Schoolhouse project is the Coca-Cola Foundation’s “contribution to the Philippine government’s efforts to address the major concern on insufficiency of classrooms” especially in far-flung and under-served areas in the country.

The project includes construction of three-classroom school buildings and providing basic classroom equipment and materials to public multi-grade elementary schools. This has been endorsed by the Department of Education under its “Adopt-A-School” program and is one of four major corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Coca-Cola.

The other three are on nutrition, improved access to water and sanitation, and women empowerment through entrepreneurship. —(FREEMAN)