LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Smart Communications is helping Benguet get back to its feet.

Under its adopt a school program, the communication giant will be donating P200,000 for the rehabilitation of both Lamtang and Bineng Elementary Schools here.

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Mayor Artemio Galwan identified both schools as being in the most need of help after the onslaught of the recent typhoon.

The Bineng rehabilitation is pegged initially to cost P50,000 while the P150,000 will be for additional work needed for the Lamtang school grounds.

The project is under the company's Adopt-A-School program is the Read-to-be-Smart Project, an initiative of Smart employee-volunteers, which was first implemented in April 2004 at the Palanan Elementary School in Makati City.

Recognizing the importance of education, Smart, as part of the PLDT group of companies, has been actively supporting the various projects of the Department of Education's Adopt-A-School Program.

The Smart Schools Program is a community service initiative of Smart Communications, Inc., in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress, with the support of the Department of Education and Microsoft's Partners in Learning Program.

Program Description

The valley is known to have grown to serve as an educational center for its neighboring municipalities.

Second to Baguio City, the municipality is touted as one of the prime education centers in the province.

There are 13 private and 23 public elementary schools in the municipality and one school for special children. In terms of secondary schools, there are six public and three private schools.

The Benguet State University is the lone university in the municipality and there is the privately owned Cordillera Career Development College. There are 10 private and two-public vocational schools.

Turnover rites are slated on Nov. 17 with Smart executives and Galwan.