Colorful dreams for a new school year
MANILA, Philippines - The students will surely be delighted to see their school at the opening of classes on June 13,” said Felix Perido, principal of the Pamplona Elementary School Central in Las Piñas. Just a couple of weeks before school opening, the school was a beehive of activity as volunteers, among them barangay and community members, teachers, parents, and students themselves, went about cleaning and sprucing up the school building in preparation for the beginning of classes.
The annual activity, known as Brigada Eskwela, which was started by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2003, is a nationwide effort to prepare the public schools for the new school year. Maintenance work and minor repairs as well as some re-painting and even gardening are done by volunteers, with assistance and support coming from non-government organizations and private corporations.
Storytelling activity for students during Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines’ Colourful Dreams CSR Activity led by volunteer Jennifer Rodil from Habitat for Humanity and PSID-AA president Paolo Jara
“The spirit of volunteerism is in the hearts of our friends from the private sector who lend a helping hand in creating better learning Centers for our youth,” DepEd-Las Pinas Schools Division superintendent, Dr. Loreta Torrecampo, remarked. “The education of our youth is the responsibility of everyone.”
This year, the Pamplona Elementary School Central in Las Piñas, which has a student population of about 3,000, received support from Nippon Paint, “The Coating Expert.” Together with members from the Philippine School of Interior Design Alumni Association (PSID-AA), they joined the other volunteers in painting the school building’s façade as well as some parts of the interior including the library, reading corners and hallway. The wooden armchairs that the students use inside the classrooms were also repaired and re-painted.
“The maintenance and upkeep of our school is a growing challenge,” Perido said, “but we give it our best effort. We get inspiration from our students, many of whom are achievers in various academic endeavors, which drives us to keep improving and maintaining our school as a safe learning environment.” He proudly describes his school as “A-class” and said he was extremely delighted that the school was chosen as the first beneficiary of Nippon Paint’s CSR initiative in the Philippines.
Volunteers in Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines’ Colourful Dreams CSR Activity paint different school areas.
With the theme, “Create Joy Today, Hope for Tomorrow,” Colourful Dreams is one of Nippon Paint’s corporate social responsibility programs found across the 15 countries and 300 cities in Asia where they operate. Nippon Paint is the leading maker of paints and coatings in Asia. With a strong emphasis on R&D, they lead in revolutionizing the paint industry through product innovations.
“Our Green Choice series was formulated with the environment and your wellness in mind,” Nippon Paint Philippines general manager, Michael Chung, explained. The paints are water-based and therefore easy to use. They are mercury- and lead-free so they are safe. They are also free of VOC (volatile organic compounds) which are toxic chemicals that vaporize into gas at room temperature, resulting in air pollution that can cause various health problems.
“Our Nippon Paint Pylox Lazer, a quick-dry, high performance versatile spray paint, is also free of Toulene, which has been banned by the Dangerous Drug Board,” Chung shared. “We are the first and only company at present that has complied.”
“Our ultimate goal is simple. To bring joy and hope,” Chung said. “We find that bringing color to schools actually liven up the students. They are excited by the colors. They are challenged. They can study very well. So overall, it’s not just about the paint anymore. It’s the feeling, the atmosphere. Even the community is engaged, because the school belongs to the community.”
