Mandaue students explore heritage sites

Forty-one pupils of Don Calixto Yongco Sr. Elementary School (DCCYES) in barangay Tawason, Mandaue City, explored urban Cebu’s heritage sites last Jan. 28.

AboitizLand Inc., through its You Can Be A Hero program, in cooperation with Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation brought the DCCYES grade 6 pupils to the past through the heritage tour.

The class visited Bantayan sa Hari, Mandaue’s watchtower built around 1800 to warn residents about impending pirate attacks.

Jonhsen Yamac, one of the top pupils of the class, was awed and could hardly believe that egg whites, instead of portland cement, were used to stabilize the coral stones that made up the fort.

At the Casa Gorordo Museum, the children from barangay San Roque, Cebu City, taught the DCCYES pupils how to weave the palm leaf pouch for hanging rice or puso. After getting the tricks of puso making, the AboitizLand employee-volunteers treated the children with Cebuano folktales on humility and thoughtfulness.

Now on its second year, the DCCYES remains an active partner of the company as one of its adopted schools.

The heritage tour is part of AboitizLand’s You Can Be A Hero program, which includes learning sessions by AboitizLand employee-volunteers every Friday afternoon on Math, Science, English, self-development and art appreciation.

The tour supplements classroom instruction as it allows participants a first-hand experience of the concepts that are taught in their classes.

Jeanne Ouano, AboitizLand’s vice president for corporate planning, said through the heritage tour “AboitizLand puts into action its brand promise of nurturing communities.”