P-Noy’s sis turns over new school building

The Silid-Pangarap school building was turned over yesterday to a school in the mountain barangay of Guindarohan in Minglanilla town, southern Cebu.

The turnover was led by presidential sister Pinky Aquino-Abellada and Candice Regner-Neri, general manager of JLR Construction and Aggregates Inc.

Abellada, who heads the Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (Aggap), in an interview, said, “This is part of my program to provide 100 classrooms in a year.”

According to Abellada, one thing she had learned from her father, the late Sen. Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr., is the significance of education.

“My dad used to tell us  nung maliliit kami, ang edukasyon walang makakanakaw. So for me, in my mind, pag-na-educate natin sila pwede sila mag-escape ng poverty,” she told Cebu Daily News.

Abellada said this has become a family affair for them.

She said that her three sisters, her brother President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and her cousins are also helping her in the program even though they have other advocacies.

In fact, trustees of Aggap are classmates of P-Noy, she said.

As of today, they’ve completed and turned over 109 classrooms all over the country, 40 of which are in Cebu.

Abellada said Cebu province has become an inspiring story for  other provinces where they also implement the program.

According to Abellada, Cebu province has many local counterparts that helped fund the project.

She said she will be  here again in Cebu next week for the turnover of 24 classrooms in partnership with Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI).

“The Cebuanos are so in to education… Cebu is always my example of a success story,” she said.

Irenita Navarro, the school principal said she was thankful for the two-classroom school building given to them.

Navarro said this is the answer to their problem in lack of classrooms.

Last January, two-classroom school buildings were turned over in Mandaue City.

Apart from the school building constructed by JLR Construction and Aggregates Inc., Aggap provided plastic chairs and tables as well as new books for the pupils.

Kindergarten pupils will be using the building. /CORRESPONDENT CARMEL LOISE MATUS