Japanese to build 30 schools in Batangas

Manila, Philippines - A Japanese businessman who made his fortune selling second-hand Japanese ships to the Philippines is giving back to the country, donating funds as well as time and effort to build up to 30 school buildings for public elementary schools in Batangas province over the next three years.

Katsutoshi Shimizu, head of Shimizu & Co. Ltd., and chairman of the R.K. Shimizu Foundation based in Nagasaki, Japan, has committed to construct up to five school buildings this year, and 20 to 30 in the next three years.

The beneficiaries of the first batch of school buildings made up of 11 classrooms equipped with a computer unit each, an LCD television, and school equipment such as tables, chairs and chalkboards, are the Venancio Trinidad Memorial Elementary School in Talisay, and the Carreton Elementary School, and the Carlosa Elementary School in Calatagan, all in Batangas province.

Shimizu, 72, accompanied by his wife Ritsuko, who is vice chairman of the R.K. Shimizu Foundation, signed a memorandum of agreement with Education Secretary Armin Luistro earlier this week.

Shimizu, who first visited the Philippines in 1969 and established his company three years later with principal business of exporting of second-hand ships to the country, said that his construction of the school buildings was his payback to the Philippines, which he regards as his second home.

“I believe that education is the only key to a country’s success. So I started helping NGOs and my staff through scholarships more than 10 years ago. But I learned that DepEd needs more than 100,000 classrooms and I decided to help by building some and donating them to the Philippine government,” Shimizu said.

Luistro, for his part, welcomed Shimizu’s efforts.

“I feel this initiative of Mr. Shimizu is a very good model of how our two countries can forge a partnership along our bayanihan spirit, our homegrown version of working together,” said Luistro.