OVER the years, Philippine public schools have struggled with dilapidated books and old school libraries with outdated resource materials.
This scenario has left librarians with a quiet room, not because children are busy reading but because no students are visiting.
“Back then, the books were in black and white, some of them not even fit for reading,” said Maria Liles Marcellana, a teacher at Lapu-Lapu Elementary School in Davao City.
“But today, thanks to the Phoenix Philippines Foundation, a lot of kids are paying a visit to the library,” fellow teacher Reycel Beoy said.
The Phoenix Philippines Foundation, corporate social responsibility arm of Phoenix Petroleum, has been supporting the Lapu-Lapu Elementary School library for more than five years now.
“They provide books that are interactive and colorful which entice the kids to read,” Marcellana said.
Since 2010, Phoenix Philippines Foundation has been in touch with more than 50 public schools nationwide to build and refurbish libraries.
“We bring them a list of books that we can provide; we tell them how much worth of books they can request and we order it for them,” said Phoenix Petroleum Corporate Affairs Manager Ben Sur.
As part of the refurbishment project, the foundation provides new chairs, tables and air-conditioning units for the libraries.
“Times are changing. Children these days want interactive learning. They want to touch or feel what they are learning about,” he said.
For these Phoenix libraries, the school and the foundation have signed an agreement that the school management will take care of the library facilities.
Sur also said that the foundation is continuously looking for public schools that they can provide with the same benefits.
“Hopefully, one day, all public schools will have a library that has an ambience conducive for learning,” he said. /PR
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
