Two new two-storey school buildings are bringing hope and brighter learning spaces to young students in Region IV-A. Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI), through its flagship education program “Build a School, Build a Nation” donated a four-classroom building to Jose C. Pastor Memorial Elementary School in Batangas City on October 14, 2025, and an eight-classroom building to Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School in Laguna on October 16, 2025.
The donations form part of SBFI’s continuing commitment to help address the country’s classroom shortage, a gap that according to the Department of Education (DepEd), has reached over 165,000 classrooms this year.
“Aside from the classroom shortage, there are many existing classrooms which are dilapidated and in need of repair or replacement,” SBFI Chairman Rafael Simpao, Jr. said. “How can our youth become future leaders of our country if they lack facilities like classrooms? If we want our nation to progress, there is an urgent need for us to redeem our future generation through investments in education,” he added.
For Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School, the donation carries special significance. The new building will serve as the pilot site for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Inclusive Learning Resource Center (ILRC) Model in Sta. Cruz, the first in Laguna Province. The center aims to create an environment where children with disabilities can also learn and thrive. The center will serve as a hub for learning as well as assessment, therapy, and intervention support for children with disabilities.
During the turnover ceremony, DepEd Laguna Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Buddy Chester Repia became emotional as he shared his personal story as a father of a child with special needs.
“Ang mga SPED learners natin ay tunay na nangangailangan. Sila ‘yung minsan hindi masyadong napapansin. Pero ramdam na ramdam ko ‘yung ganoong kasiyahan dahil ako ay magulang ng isang child with special needs,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. “Ramdam ko ‘yung kahalagahan nito. Napakalaking tulong ito sa pagtupad ng kanilang mga pangarap.”
Beyond building classrooms, the Foundation’s education initiatives also focus on nurturing leadership among school heads of beneficiary schools. Both former principal Loida Aluan of Jose C. Pastor Memorial Elementary School and current principal Loredel Gecalao of Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School are active participants in SBFI’s Mentoring Future Leaders for Nation-Building program, a three-year leadership development curriculum for public school principals implemented in partnership with Ateneo de Manila University.
As part of the program, participating principals are required to design and implement Transformational Action Plans (TAPs) that address their schools’ specific needs. Loida’s project established an online platform to promote collaborative research among teachers and enhance their participation in research initiatives. Meanwhile, Loredel’s TAP empowered advanced learners to serve as “Math Buddies” and “Reading Champions,” mentoring fellow students in literacy and numeracy through garden-based learning activities.
To date, the Security Bank Foundation has donated 863 classrooms to 148 schools across 89 cities and municipalities, each one a standing testament to the belief that nation-building begins with a single classroom.
SBFI continues to prove that nation-building begins in the classroom, one school, one teacher, and one inspired learner at a time.
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