PBSP gives educational assistance to 100 SHS students in Olango Island

Senior High School students from the Sta. Rosa National High School in Olango Island were among the beneficiaries of the Olango Challenge that was held May. Also in photo are PBSP Trustee and Visayas Regional Committee Chairman Jose Antonio Aboitiz (8th from left, standing), OPASCOR President Atty. Tomas Riveral (9th from right, standing), GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation CSR Officer Edilyth Maribojoc (7th from left, standing) and Assistant Principal II Natiadel Sayo (6th from left, standing). | Contributed Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Around a hundred Senior High School (SHS) students from the Sta. Rosa National High School in Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City recently received a year’s worth of educational assistance from Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and its corporate donors.

The one-year educational assistance program was made possible through the proceeds from PBSP’s 12th Olango Challenge held last May. Olango Challenge (OC) is the country’s longest-running open-water swimming competition held annually to raise funds for education initiatives on Olango Island. Since 2008, proceeds from the OC built nine classrooms for Olango’s elementary schools and provided educational assistance to over 190 SHS students of Sta. Rosa National High School. This is the third year that students from the school received this kind of assistance.

The major sponsors of the race are OPASCOR, Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., City Savings Bank, Inc., PLDT, Inc., and PhilPacific Insurance Brokers and Managers, Inc. The swimmers who participated in the race are also part of the group of benefactors.

“Our students who have been chosen as scholars repeatedly express their gratitude for having allowances for projects, contributions and fare to get to school, and their immersion sites. More importantly, they are also given the opportunity to take the NC II Assessment, the fees of which they could  not afford to pay on their own,” said the school’s Assistant Principal II Natiadel Sayo.

The educational assistance includes monthly transportation and project allowances, fees for the National Certification assessments, and employment assistance for students wanting to find jobs after graduation.

Donation Of Cooking Equipment

The students also received cooking equipment from PBSP and its corporate donors OPASCOR and GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC). The equipment will be used for the school’s cookery laboratory.

“These tools and equipment help us to enhance our skills in cooking different kinds of dishes. Your help motivates us to work hard to slowly make our dreams come true. Thank you very much for your generosity,” Mariz Igot, a SHS student said during the awarding and turnover recently.

Last year, OC proceeds were used to provide equipment for the school’s Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) laboratory.

“The equipment donated for the different strands yearly have enabled our students to hone their skills and use equipment that are only seen in illustrations or videos,” Sayo added.

Paying It Forward 

OPASCOR President Atty. Tomas Riveral, one of the donors, said during the turnover: “Poverty is not a hindrance to success. I believe education is the great equalizer and this gives the less fortunate the chance to level up and improve their lives.”

PBSP Trustee and Visayas Regional Committee Chairman Jose Antonio Aboitiz affirmed the important role of education in the students’ lives.

“My only wish is that all of you work hard and perform better in your studies, so that one day you may help other people the same way you are all being blessed now,” said Aboitiz. / dcb