Airport management to build school in Lapu-Lapu City
THE new management of the Mactan Cebu International Airport will donate a two-storey, fourclassroom building to the Ibo Elementary School (IES), located in the airport's host city.
The proposed school is expected to benefit at least 300 pupils.
The GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) president Manuel Louie Ferrer signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with IES Principal Herminia Leyson last Tuesday afternoon.
City Administrator Teodulo Ybañez also signed the agreement on behalf of Mayor Paz Radaza.
The MOA signing was witnessed by GMCAC chief executive adviser Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, IES Parents, Teachers and Community Association president Flordeliza Jimenez and Germiniano Enecuela, education program supervisor of the Department of Education (DepEd) Lapu-Lapu City Schools Division.
School
Proponents initially set their sights on the left area of the school where a stage stands.
But the area will be affected by the road-widening project of the City Government.
The classroom will in- stead be built on the right side of the campus where three classrooms will be demolished.
The classrooms to be demolished need major repairs so Leyson said that the school decided to just build a new building.
Ferrer said GMCAC is yet to finalize the cost of the construction.
The donation will also include tables, chairs, blackboards and electric fans.
Ferrer said that construction will start in March.
GMCAC hopes that the students will be able to use the new classrooms in the next school year.
Ferrer said that standards in the construction of classrooms set by DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways will be followed.
Resilient
The classrooms will also be typhoon-resilient.
“It's a donation from the GMCAC Foundation so we haven't finalized the cost yet... The school project is really something close to our hearts. In Megawide, we built thousands of classroom already with DepEd),” said Ferrer.
He claimed that Megawide had donated thousands of classroom in the Luzon area.
Harrison said that GMCAC's community engagement will be part of their airport management in the next 25 years.
“We hope that we will see children in schools like this grow up to become presidents of companies,” said Harrison.
GMCAC officials want more projects in the LapuLapu area.
Leyson thanked GMCAC for choosing IES as recipient of its first donated project.