Security Bank Foundation first came to Tacloban City during the formal turnover of its (12) twelve classrooms donation for San Jose Central School and Leyte National High School in July 2015.

Five (5) months later, Security Bank Foundation returned to Tacloban City, Leyte to formally turnover another donation of eight (8) classrooms for San Jose Central School in a simple ceremony last December 3, 2015.

The ceremonial ribbon cutting for the 2 storey, 8 classrooms school building donation for San Jose Central School was led by Security Bank Area Head for Western and Eastern Visayas Mr. Proceso Berino, the Hon. Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin and the Hon. Councilor Cristina Gonzalez-Romualdez of Tacloban City, and DepEd-Tacloban City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Thelma C. Quitalig.

Also present to witness the event were Security Bank Program Manager Ms. Mel. Cordova, Security Bank Area Head for Eastern / Western Visayas Mr. Proceso Berino and Tacloban Branch Manager Mr. Bonifacio Tordillo, representatives from the Local Government and DepEd Division of Tacloban City, and the teachers and students of San Jose Central School.

With the additional donation of eight (8) classrooms for San Jose Central School, Security Bank Foundation has helped build a total of twenty-six (26) classrooms for four (4) public schools in Tacloban City alone. Fourteen (14) out of these twenty-six (26) classrooms donated by the Foundation are found in San Jose Central School.

The donation of eight (8) classrooms to San Jose Central School in Tacloban City, Leyte is part of Security Bank Foundation’s “Build a School, Build a Nation: The Classrooms Project”.

The “Build a School, Build a Nation: The Classrooms Project” is a partnership for the construction of Public School Classrooms of Security Bank Foundation in partnership Ateneo de Manila University. For this collaboration, Security Bank Foundation would provide financing for the construction of the classrooms, while Ateneo de Manila University, through its Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED), will design programs that will help improve the academic performance of students in public schools. The other major partners include the Department of Education, who is responsible for providing the classroom furniture and the respective Local Government Units, whose responsibility will be the provision for the land where the classrooms will be constructed, the facilitation of construction permits and monitoring of the construction projects.

To date, Security Bank Foundation has formally turned over a total of 207 classrooms to fifty-two (52) public schools in thirty-four (34) cities and municipalities nationwide. On top of these, Security Bank Foundation has ongoing construction for another thirty-four (34) classrooms to be given to five (5) public schools in Western Visayas and Northern Luzon areas that are expected to be formally turned over in the first quarter of 2016.

Another additional 136 classrooms donation for 21 more public schools in eight (8) cities and municipalities in Luzon and Mindanao regions will start construction in January 2016 and are expected to be formally turned over before end of the year 2016.

Since 2011, Security Bank Foundation has provided funding for the construction of 377 classrooms for 78 public schools in 47 cities and municipalities nationwide in over four (4) years. These 377 classrooms will benefit over 35,000 students every school year.

In response to the Government’s call for support for the new K+12 Education Program of the Department of Education, Security Bank Foundation’s Classrooms Project is committed to build more classrooms for public schools nationwide to help reduce the gap of over 40,000 classrooms shortage in the country.

To know more about the Security Bank Foundation, visit www.securitybank.com/foundation.