Over 1,500 Aboitiz team members head ‘back to school’ for Brigada Eskwela
The Aboitiz Group heeded the government’s call for volunteers and rallied over 1,500 team members nationwide from 24 business units (BUs) for its annual groupwide Brigada Eskwela activity this year.
In Manila, a total of 318 volunteers took time off from work to repaint the interior and exterior walls, ceilings, doors, blackboards, grills, desks, armchairs, and windows of classrooms at Upper Bicutan and Ricardo P. Cruz, Sr. Elementary Schools in Taguig City last May 20. They were also joined by several Aboitiz scholars and Aboitiz Future Leaders Business Summit alumni.
The Manila volunteers were also joined by 123, 514, and 532 volunteers from other Luzon-, Visayas-, and Mindanao-based BUs, respectively. This constituted the first wave of Aboitiz Brigada Eskwela activities, with more to be undertaken by other BUs in the next few weeks.
Participating BUs this year included Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV), Aboitiz Foundation, AboitizPower, BEZ (Balamban EnerZone), Cotabato Light, CitySavings, Davao Light, EAUC (East Asia Utilities Corporation), Hedcor, LEZ (LiMA EnerZone), LHC (Luzon Hydro Corporation), MEZ (Mactan EnerZone), PETNET, Pilmico, SacaSun, SEZ (Subic EnerZone), SN Aboitiz Power, TLI (Therma Luzon, Inc.), TMI (Therma Marine, Inc.), TMO (Therma Mobile, Inc.), TSI (Therma South, Inc.), TVI (Therma Visayas, Inc.), WeatherPhilippines, and VECO. Total beneficiaries of this year’s Aboitiz Brigada Eskwela are expected to exceed 20,000 students nationwide.
“Brigada Eskwela is a major part of the Aboitiz Group’s annual team member engagement program and is likewise an embodiment of our Group Purpose: to drive change for a better world. We have always stood firm in our belief that it is in our schools that we can make a big difference in the lives of many,” Erramon I. Aboitiz, AEV President and Chief Executive Officer said.
“We ultimately do our part in co-creating safe, empowered and sustainable communities by providing students with an environment that not only provides safe and well-maintained classrooms but also fosters lifelong learning,” Aboitiz added.
This year’s Aboitiz Brigada Eskwela in Manila was supported by the Taguig City government, represented by Mayor Lani Cayetano and Vice Mayor Ricardo Cruz, Jr., who also helped repaint chairs during the activity.
“There’s a saying that ‘it takes a village’ to raise or educate a child, and now we can really see that. We can see the whole community actually working together for our students. Aboitiz is not just a company with a focus on their own business, but we can really feel—not just in this school, but in many other schools in Taguig City—the programs of Aboitiz, and we’re very happy about that. This will surely inspire our students to study well,” Cayetano said.
Brigada Eskwela is the Department of Education’s annual classroom rehabilitation program conducted in public schools nationwide. The Aboitiz Group, recognized in 2015 by DepEd as the Philippine’s biggest contributor to public education, has long been an active supporter and participant of this activity as part of the Group’s team member engagement programs since 2008.
As of end-2016, a total of 11,100 Aboitiz team members have helped repair and repaint 1,234 public schools nationwide in nine annual Brigada Eskwela activities. Last year, Aboitiz-supported Tipas Elementary School was named 3rd Best Brigada Eskwela Implementer 2016, Exceptional School Category, by DepEd Taguig-Pateros.
The Aboitiz Foundation has long been a staunch supporter of Philippine education reform, believing education is where the Group can make the biggest impact. The Foundation’s most important goal is to achieve universal public education by establishing more Aboitiz BetterWorld schools that promise a better learning environment. This, in turn, supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, specifically on Quality Education (ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).
