Volunteers help clean up San Fernando school a week before opening

WITH only a week to go before the opening of the school season, the Green Hills Elementary School in barangay Green Hills, San Fernando town insouth Cebu received another visit from a familiar benefactor yesterday.

Staff of the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) and Aboitiz Foundation Inc. joined anew in the Brigada Eskwela program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Veco, the country’s second largest electric company, joined the annual program which called for cleaning and sprucing up public schools ahead of the opening of classes as part of its corporate social responsibility thrust.

Last year, Veco personnel repaired and provided additional books to the Green Hills Elementary School’s library.

Yesterday, 30 Veco employees repaired and repainted classrooms and cleaned the school area.

Veco also donated 150 armchairs made of scrap wooden crates and fixed the school’s wiring system.

Veco Community Relations chief Eric Ching said they prioritize schools in the mountain barangays covered by their network.

These include the towns of Lilo-an in the north to San Fernando in the south.

Veco’s participation in the Brigada Eskwela program began in 2010 with Leonard Wood Elementary School in Mandaue City as their first recipient.

Other schools they helped were Garing Elementary School in Consolacion town in 2010, Tayud Elementary School in Liloan in 2011 and Green Hills Elementary School last year.

“At the end of the day, all I expect is just for the community to be happy,” Ching said while removing dirt from a concrete bench in the campus grounds.

Ching worked side by side with his wife.

Volunteers ended the cleanup with a boodle fight. Veco workers, teachers and other participants shared a communal lunch spread on banana leaves and ate with their bare hands.

“We are very  happy watching them with a big smile. At least they feel our small contribution to the community,” Ching said.

One of the teachers, 55-year-old Neri Medallon, agreed.

“Lipay jud kaayo mi uy. Lipay jud. Salamat jud (We are very happy. Thank you), sir,” Medallon told Ching.