Deal inked to restore old Gabaldon school buildings

The goal was to provide public schoolchildren with a better learning environment and quality education while promoting local culture and heritage.

On Dec. 21, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and its partners, including the Cebu provincial government, signed an agreement for the Gabaldon restoration project.

More than  100 Gabaldon-type schools in Cebu will be restored under this initiative.

A “Mugna-Lambigit” exhibit showcasing the historical and cultural value of  of the structures  was opened  at SM City Cebu to raise funds for the project.

Gabaldon school buildings were built during the post-American era and are considered heritage structures.

These schools were constructed through a legislative act of the  Philippine Assembly   authored by assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija.

The building design of a Gabaldon school is patterned after the bahay   kubo, which is attuned to the country’s tropical conditions.

“RAFI believes in the education of children. Students should not only appreciate the heritage but also experience it and live into it,” said Amaya Aboitiz, RAFI-Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund executive director, in her speech during the opening of the exhibit on Dec. 17.

RAFI’s school rehabilitation project was launched in 2004 to address the lack of educational resources in public schools.

The exhibit ended yesterday. It was mounted in partnership with the Cebu provincial government, League of Municipalities-Cebu Chapter, and the Department of Education (DepEd).

Thirteen Cebuano artists displayed their art creations with Gabaldon buildings as their subject.

Nine of them are members of the Cebu Artists Inc. (CAI).

The 50 to 60 paintings displayed were sold to the highest bidder.

At least four paintings were bought during the exhibit. Three paintings were sold for P10,000 each, another for P15,000 and the fourth one   for  P18,000.

The total of P55,000, included a  P2,000 cash given by a donor.

Sixty percent of the proceeds will go to the Gabaldon project, while percent is shared with the artists.

“We are born to paint. When we have something like this (exhibit) that RAFI has given us,  we are happy. Through this painting, we could help restore the culture and heritage,” said CAI president Sonia Yrastorza.

Yrastorza said the Gabaldon exhibit was  unique.

“Mo-paint man gyud mi, but this has added meaning because you are helping restore them (Gabaldon schools) and the children learn in a better environment,”  she said.

Yrastorza pointed that Gabaldon school buildings can be found in the province, not in the city.

Over the next  five years, Yrastorza said their group will display their art creations every four months.

Yrastorza said their next exhibit will be held in April with students as their subject. /Correspondent Tweeny Malinao