Aboitiz helps rebuild Iligan with its biggest classroom donation

MANILA, Philippines - Aboitiz Equity Ventures food subsidiary, Pilmico Foods Corp., devotes its resources to Iligan City, turning over P25 million worth of school buildings in Iligan City, its biggest corporate social responsibility project to date, and launching a feeding program to fight malnutrition.

The four new school buildings, each having six classrooms, were built inside the Bayanihan sa Iligan Village in Barangay Sta. Elena, a relocation site identified by the Iligan City Government for residents who were hit hardest by Sendong two years ago.  

A total of 1,711 houses to accommodate the same number of families were also built inside the 15.9-hectare village.

“Students from three barangays in Iligan City that were hit by typhoon Sendong no longer have to travel far only to study in congested classrooms. The quality of education that the children will be getting is at stake if this is not remedied. We are doing this to show our commitment to Iligan, the place we have been calling home for the last 50 years,” said Pilmico president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz.

After flashfloods washed away and damaged the schools in Barangays Hinaplanon, Santiago, Sta. Filomena and Bayug Island, students were forced to attend classes in the already congested schools in other barangays.  

For some who were relocated, students needed to travel 10 to 12 kilometers just to be able to go to school.  

Meanwhile Iligan residents are also benefiting from Pilmico’s Kutitap Feeding Program, providing bread snacks to nearly 2,400 students in a bid to advance children’s nutrition.

Aboitiz said the feeding program initially benefits kindergarten and grade 1 students from eight pre-selected public schools, but will soon be rolled out to as many schools nationwide.

To ensure that there is nutritional value in the bread that these children eat, Pilmico provides the recipes, which partner local bakeries such as Frosty Bites, Shandy’s Bakeshop and Cherrybelle’s Bakeshop and dealers prepare, pack, and distribute three times a week to schools.

The partner schools meanwhile monitor the children’s weight and height on a monthly basis. The program will roll out until end of school year 2013-2014.