A TOTAL of 30 AGAPP (Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa) Silid Pangarap kindergarten classrooms were recently donated by the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, to the Department of Education (DepEd), putting the cumulative number of Silid Pangarap classrooms donated by the foundation since 2011 at 246.
These classrooms, built in 15 schools nationwide, were turned over to the DepEd last April 29 at Enderun Colleges, Taguig City as part of the Aboitiz Foundation’s continuing commitment to education and are seen to benefit 1,800 kindergarten pupils.
Six of the classrooms that were turned over are in the Visayas, where a total of 62 AGAPP classrooms have been built since 2011.
Since 2011, the Aboitiz Foundation, in partnership with AGAPP, spent over P143 million to build 246 Silid Pangarap classrooms in 123 schools nationwide, benefitting over 55,000 kindergarten students.
“We in Aboitiz believe that a better-educated youth means a better Philippines. We believe that it is in education where we can create the greatest impact so it is only fitting that we allocate the bulk of our CSR budget to it,” said Aboitiz Foundation Chairman Erramon I. Aboitiz.
In 2015, the Aboitiz Group spent a total of P415 million on corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that had a positive impact on the lives of over 500,000 direct beneficiaries.
Of this amount, P232 million or 56 percent was allotted to realize the Group’s promise of delivering a better learning environment for students through facilities and assets alike.
It was also last year that DepEd recognized the Aboitiz Group as a long-standing partner in the government’s bid to uplift the state of the country’s public education system, and as the Philippines’ biggest contributor to public education.
“Indeed, AGAPP Silid Pangarap is more than just a school building. To the excited and curious little girls and boys it has welcomed over the years, it is where their dreams and imagination are awakened and nurtured. It is our privilege to be able to do our part and we commit to continue doing our part to help make our youth become lifelong learners,” Aboitiz added.