Davao Light & Power Co., a leading member of the Aboitiz Group, in cooperation with its social development arm, the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI), turned over last Wednesday, May 23, 2012, a new 3-classroom building to the Department of Education (DepEd), Panabo City Division. It is constructed at the Salvacion Elementary School campus at Barangay Salvacion, Panabo City.
In addition, the Aboitiz-owned electric utility also donated to the Department a total of one hundred fifty (150) wooden armchairs for the classes that will occupy the three rooms in the newly constructed building. Each room is also provided with teacher’s chairs and tables.
Davao Light Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (EVP-COO) Arturo M. Milan who did the official turnover together with City Mayor Jose L. Silvosa Sr., told DepEd officials and the school administration that donation of school buildings is only one of several projects that the electric utility is undertaking to support the government’s “Adopt-a-School Program”.
Milan said Davao Light is investing in the education of the youth for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program because it believes that it is only in education that the impact of the investment continues to radiate even after the beneficiaries of the project have long completed their studies.
In his turnover message Milan further said that the Salvacion Elementary School project is the 34th school building to be constructed by Davao Light all over its franchise area since 1996. He added that two more are now about to be finished and will be turned over before the end of the year.
The company executive also thanked the local government of Panabo City under mayor Silvosa for providing the counterpart funds for the DepEd. The building made of concrete, with tiled floor and lavatory in each room, and complete with ready-to-tap water and electrical facilities, cost P2.353 million. The armchairs, and the teachers’ chairs and tables cost about P170 thousand.
For his part Mayor Silvosa thanked Davao Light for its generosity and continuing support in efforts to improve the quality of education offered by the public educational system in Panabo City. He said it is this support by the company that encouraged the LGU of Panabo over the past years to work even harder despite the perennial problem of lack of resources.
Meanwhile, City Division Superintendent Dr. Josephine Fadul lauded both Davao Light and the city government of Panabo for jointly implementing the school building project. She said that by pooling their resources to be able to construct a new building the two entities just proved that a government-private partnership is viable even at the local level.
School principal Mrs. Nenita Prior also thanked both Davao Light and Mayor Silvosa, and all those who made the project happened. She did only one thing to express her happiness for the gift of education. She unabashedly cried right on stage and in front of all the guests.
