CEBU, Philippines - A Philippine-based insurance company donated P1.4 million to the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu for the benefit of the typhoon affected UP Tacloban students.
Coursed through its philanthropy arm, Sun Life Financial formally turned over the cheque to UP Cebu the other day.
Lawyer Liza Corro, Dean of UP Cebu and Joub Miradora, executive director of Sun Life Foundation signed the contract formalizing the donation with UP Professor May Bugash and Sun Life Branch Manager Pete Gonzales as witnesses.
“We are hoping that with this amount we can help alleviate living conditions of the students,†said Miradora.
UP Cebu currently houses 150 cross enrollees from UP Tacloban. Fifty of these students have an annual household income of P80, 000 which makes them fall under the bracket E2 in the financial assistance program of the university.
“We are grateful to Sun Life because they are helping to sustain academic excellence through this help,†Corro commented.
When UP Cebu opened its doors to the cross enrollees in the second semester, the campus immediately built a dorm for those who do not have homes. The registration period was extended until the end of November 2013 for those who were having a hard time finding transportation to Cebu.
The school also gave meal assistance stubs worth P50 per day but the budget for this program only lasted for a month. With the amount given by Sun Life, the meal assistance stubs could now last until the end of March.
Those who fall under the E2 bracket would also be receiving an additional P5,000 on top of the P2,400 stipend given by the university until the end of the second semester.
Students who attended the ceremony were teary-eyed and grateful with the help given by the insurance company.
“It’s truly fulfilling to know that the sustainable programs and partnerships we supported have helped many distressed Filipinos,†Miradora said.
The Sun Life foundation further plans to strengthen their partnership with the University as well as expanding their scholarship programs to different universities in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, Miradora added. — (FREEMAN)