RP Energy and Brigada Eskwela 2013
For Subic-based Redondo Peninsula Energy corporate social responsibility (CSR) officer Victor Chan, the new school year is more special as his son Kyle Gabriel will attend a public school inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone where Victor has often volunteered as part of the yearly Brigada Eskwela program.
According to Victor, “providing a conducive learning environment for kids is important especially if it involves my son. But its all the more special if the company you work for is also involved in the same advocacy. Contributing to the community is part of RP Energy’s core values especially if it involves activities that make the community better and stronger.”
Brigada Eskwela is a week-long school clean-up and maintenance volunteer program organized by the Department of Education that signals the beginning of the school year in public schools across the country. Victor led this year’s volunteers from RP Energy.
Aside from the lack of classrooms, local school officials are faced with damaged chairs and blackboards, pelting wall and roof paints, uncut grasses in the campus, and broken windows among others. No one understands this more than Olongapo City School superintendent Jesus Ferrer. “We are happy that private organizations like RP Energy are regular partners in our local Brigada Eskwela program. Their participation is important because the Department of Education (DepEd) has limited resources to rehabilitate all the schools,” Ferrer explained.
Aside from volunteers, RP Energy also donated paint and painting materials to all of Olongapo City’s 39 schools. ”We also gave the same to 38 schools in the town of Subic and 10 schools in Castillejos, Zambales. The principals told us that the paints and painting materials are among the least donated, and are the most costly materials they need,” Chan said. According to Roderick Raguine, officer-in-charge of Kinabuksan High School in Brgy. Cawag, Subic, “the DepEd’s implementation of the K-12 system meant more students coming into the public education system stretching our current inventory of equipment,”.Last summer, RP Energy, together with school and barangay officials inaugurated a multi-purpose, covered basketball court in Brgy. Cawag for the community’s youth and barangay activities.
”We do not have the funds for such big projects. I sought the help of RP Energy, and they graciously consented,” a smiling Arthur Garcia, village chief, told the crowd that attended the turn-over ceremonies. ”We try our best to help where we can make a difference. Kids can now play and learn sports, the parents and the schools will have a venue for their social functions while the local government can bring together the community to discuss how they can help each other,” Chan said.
More than just a sports venue, the basketball court is also a place where the community can come together and share moments. Raguine said that they plan to use the multi-purpose covered court as their venue for physical education classes, but he stressed, “we will also hold seminars, trainings, and graduation exercises. Now, we can invite the community to be part of the learning experience of our students.”
