GBP, GT Foundation donate school buildings
RELENTLESS in its pursuit of helping improve the country’s education system, Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) has partnered with the GT Foundation Inc. (GTFI) to donate school buildings in the provinces of Iloilo and Cebu, despite classes currently being held online all over the country.
Through subsidiaries Panay Energy Development Corp. (PEDC) and Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC), the independent power producer built a two-classroom building inside NJ Ingore Elementary School (NJIES) in La Paz, Iloilo City, and a similar structure
at the North City Central School (NCCS) in Toledo City, Cebu.
The donations were aimed at addressing the foreseen enrollment growth and, at the same time, improving the learning conditions of the said public schools once faceto-face classes resume.
Each donated classroom can accommodate up to 40 people and comes completely furnished with desks, student chairs, teacher’s tables, cabinets, electric fans, and even a “smart” television. The buildings also have comfort rooms for pupils and teachers.
With the current health crisis, classrooms are currently being used by the assigned teachers as their workstations to prepare modules and other materials for students learning from home.
“[At GT foundation, we believe that the manner] we respond to a crisis defines who we are, and showcases what we are made of,” said Aniceto Sobrepeña, executive director of GTFI. “In more ways than one, these school buildings are a testament of our resolve to follow-through with our commitment, despite the difficulties we faced in the previous year.”
For President Jaime Azurin of GBP, his company believes that similar projects will contribute to community development and improvement of the educational system in the country.
“We recognize that education is vital in creating an enlightened nation,” Azurin noted. “These projects—including our [scholarship and those supporting] school teachers—all contribute to the pursuit of our vision of enlightening lives and empowering progress.”
At present, PEDC supports 43 scholars in NJIES, while CEDC sponsors 42 scholars in NCCS as part of GBP’S scholarship program. The latter has been supporting more than 800 students from Iloilo, Cebu, Aklan and Mindoro as of 2020.