Davao Light, Aboitiz foundation aid public schools

During the turn-over ceremony on the said date, they also witnessed the  launching of the first day of limited face-to-face classes.

Davao Light President and Chief-operating-officer Rodger Velasco in a statement said they  are glad that the Department of Education (DepEd) is already expanding the limited face-to-face classes.

“Yet, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones also mentioned that it will not be fully face-to-face yet and blended learning will still continue,” Velasco said.

The project includes a photocopying machine, two printers, nine laptops with accessories for online learning, and several boxes of office supplies. The same equipment and office supplies were also donated to other public schools in Davao City such as Sta. Ana Elementary School and Mintal Comprehensive National High School.

Davao City Councilor Pilar Braga, Committee Chair on Education, Science and Technology, Arts and Culture also said they will continue making modules because the government is not totally opening the schools for face-to-face classes.

This year, the number of enrollees of DCNHS ballooned which will cause shortage of classrooms when face-to-face classes fully resume.

DepEd 11 Asst. Regional Director Maria Ines Asuncion said she thanked Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation for the help given to them.

“When we talk about the Adopt-A-School program and its achievements, Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. are our top-notch partners,” Asuncion said.

For her part, DCNHS Principal  Evelyn Magno said she assured that the help given to them will be beneficial to all its learners who will use it.

“Trust that we will push on with our goal of shaping the minds of our students who will be the future leaders of this country,”, Magno said.

Davao Light, along with Aboitiz Foundation and Manila Water Foundation previously donated a handwashing facility to DCNHS on October 28, 2021. The school is also a former beneficiary of the e.Lab project.

The Davao Light promises to continue to support the school in its future projects.

Earlier, the Aboitiz Foundation in partnership with City Savings Bank and in coordination with Davao Light provided a virtual learning session for the teachers of San Roque Central Elementary School (SRCES) here in the city believing that investing in the country’s teachers is also investing in the future of children.

Dubbed Project Agile, the 3-day virtual training equips public school teachers with the necessary skills to become more effective in using online platforms and managing virtual classes in the time of blended learning.

SRCES principal Mariclu Alpas  said the Project Agile gave them engaging and relevant training sessions in this pandemic.

“[We got] a lot of learnings, applications, and techniques to maximize the use of Google applications. We learned a lot from our 3-day session,” Alpas said.

“Because of our partnership [with Davao Light, Aboitiz Foundation, and City Savings Bank], a lot of challenges in our school were bridged and addressed… Your continued support has encouraged the school, through its vision and mission, to continually improve and expand on our efforts in making our school a place where learning is at its best,” she added.

This first run of the Project saw more than 40 SRCES teachers getting an in-depth and hands-on learning experience on online applications used to organize, communicate, and collaborate.

Addressing the training participants, Davao Light Reputation Enhancement Department Head Fermin Edillon hopes that the training teaches new techniques the teachers can use to better handle online classes. He also encouraged them to share their learnings with their students and fellow teachers.

DepEd 11 Regional Director Dr. Allan Farnazo said he is sure that this COVID-19 pandemic  has provided a great test into the kind of competence and skills they already possessed.

Farnazo said he also thanked the training proponents for the useful training.

The Davao Light and Aboitiz Foundation hope that more public school teachers across the country will be able to enhance their online teaching skills and continue to strive to become the best educators the Filipino children need.

Photos: Davao Light