AboitizPower Toledo plant turns over revitalized daycare center to Cebu community

MANILA, Philippines — Our society is in need of more spaces that are safe and conducive for learning and social interaction of children—places like daycare centers.

Daycare centers are unique spaces as they help kids learn more and improve their social skills in a setting outside of home and school.

This is what the children of Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) impact communities will now experience with the turnover of a newly refurbished one-story Daycare Center Facility in Toledo City, Cebu, a project of AboitizPower subsidiary TVI and the Aboitiz Foundation (AFI).

Representatives from TVI joined Cabitoonan Barangay Chairman Jerry Lazarte in a short, yet festive turnover ceremony held on November 16.

The event also marked a milestone for Brgy. Cabitoonan because it is the first time for the community to have a daycare center that’s truly conducive to learning.

“Education has always been something that we consider transformative. We at TVI recognize the importance of daycares in teaching children prerequisite skills before they enter formal learning institutions. To us, it’s important that we are able to start things right,” TVI’s facility head Noel Cabahug said.

Lazarte expressed his gratitude for the daycare center, which he said is expected to benefit the young children of the community for many years.

“Genuine community power made this Daycare Center possible,” said Lazarte.

“We are thankful for our long partnership with AboitizPower and TVI in uplifting the quality of life for our barangay through various projects.”

The bright yellow facility is expected to cater to close to a hundred students a day, divided into morning and afternoon shifts.  

It takes a village: Day care for the generations

Day care teacher Mylyn Nacario Macapobre considers the new facility as one of her “greatest blessings.”

“This year brought me one of the greatest blessings I’ve received through AboitizPower Therma Visayas,” Macapobre said.

“This new daycare center is the best facility I’ve ever taught in throughout my 31 years of being a day care teacher.”

Macapobre was 19 when she first started teaching in daycare. Back then, she and her parents pooled together their resources to build a small hut to serve as the day care.

Over time, however, more children enrolled and they needed to grow the space. The children she once taught have grown up to become professionals, and now, she is teaching their children.

Studies have shown that good quality day care can positively impact a child’s socio-emotional and behavioral development, school achievement and long-term outcomes, such as increased employment.

National legislation supports early childhood care and development, but many day care centers across the country are burdened with inadequate resources and facilities, especially in low-income municipalities.

In 2004, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) set standards for day care centers to ensure children receive high-quality care and so they can develop their full potential.

“It is our goal to help our communities thrive and one way to do that is to help provide for the needs of children, so that they can grow up to become healthy, well-adjusted and productive individuals who can make a positive contribution to society,” TVI's Cabahug added.

A good day care facility can serve as a second home to many young children in Brgy. Cabitoonan and strengthen community spirit. Early exposure to social settings allows children to hone diverse cognitive and social abilities, ranging from self-expression, conflict-resolution, problem-solving and collaboration.

TVI hopes the refurbished day care facility can adequately cater to the needs of these young children.

The Brgy. Cabitoonan day care center is only one of the many projects of the Aboitiz Foundation aiming to “co-create safe, empowered and sustainable communities.”

AFI partners with Aboitiz business units such as TVI through scalable initiatives that have long-term benefits and are aligned with the group’s core competencies.