BAGUIO CITY – Some 1,000 newly assembled arm chairs were recently turned over by the management of SM City Baguio to fourteen elementary and one secondary schools in the city to contribute in addressing the shortfall of chairs for the increasing number of student population in the public schools.
The arm chairs that were made from 210,000 cubic meters pinewood was turned over by SM City officials led by mall manager, Engr. Marc Jansen Pe, to city officials led by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, the Department of Education, Division of City Schools under the leadership of Francis Cesar B. Bringas, City Schools Superintendent and the fourteen elementary school and one secondary school principals during simple turnover ceremonies.
The fourteen elementary schools that received at least 50 arm chairs were Baguio Central School, Josefa Cariño Elementary School, Quezon Hill Elementary School, Elpidio Quirino Elementary School, Bakakeng Elementary School, Fort del Pilar Elementary School, Lindaoan Elementary School, Springhills Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School, San Vicente Elementary School, Bonifacio elementary School, Don Mariano Marcos Elementary School, Lucban Elementary School, Mabini Elementary School, Magsaysay Elementary School and Pinsao Elementary School while some 200 arm chairs were given to the Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) for distribution to the increasing number of Grade VII population.
In behalf of the city, Domogan expressed his gratitude to SM officials for continuously contributing to the enhancement of basic services in the different parts of the city through its numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects that have eased part of the burden of the city and concerned national government agencies in providing the basic needs of our people, especially the schoolchildren in the different public elementary and secondary schools.
“We urge SM management to continue extending the necessary support to the sectors that need assistance in our city so that we will continue to strengthen our relationship through the years,” Domogan stressed.
For his part, Bringas said SM City Baguio’s donation is timely considering that most of the city’s populated elementary and secondary schools had been experiencing shortage of arm chairs for the growing population of enrolees in the public schools.
He said the distribution of the donated arm chairs passed through an extensive assessment by the division office based on their needs in order to strike a balance between the school population and the number of arm chairs to be allocated to the schools.
According to Pe, he will bring to the attention of higher management the request of the education department and the city government for SM to consider the continuous donations of arm chairs in order to contribute in significantly reducing the inadequate chairs used by students enrolled in the different public schools in the city and that SM will continue to explore other areas in the city which it could provide assistance to foster a harmonious working relationship between the government and the private sector.
Pe cited SM will continue to be a partner of the government in delivering to the grassroots the basic services that will contribute in preserving and protecting the environment, enhancing the delivery of health and basic services among others that will contribute in propelling economic growth by empowering the people to be resilient. By Dexter A. See