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| (Image Source: Adobo Magazine/GMA Network Inc.) |
GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc., the socio-civic arm of the Philippines' largest broadcasting network GMA Network Inc., has been awarded a grant of Php800,000 from the New Zealand Embassy under the High Embassy Fund - Manila. Allocated for GMAKF's Kapuso School Development Program, the said grant will help build two Kapuso classrooms in Calassitan Elementary School in Sto. Niño, Cagayan which has sustained heavy damage caused by typhoon Ulysses last year. This support will benefit the Agta/Aguy Indigenous People who inhabit the remote town and will eventually use the new classrooms.
“30% of the school’s population are members of the Agta tribe and indigenous people are a priority beneficiary group of GMA Kapuso Foundation,” shared GMAKF Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rikki Escudero-Catibog. On the other hand, New Zealand Ambassador Peter Kell said, “The New Zealand Government advocates for the recognition and inclusion of indigenous knowledge and economic participation. Through the New Zealand High Embassy Fund, we are supporting small scale, short-term community projects that contribute to wider community well-being. This will help to address issues of social exclusion, poverty and inequity. We are proud to support GMA Kapuso Foundation in its Calassitan Elementary School Development project which aims to provide a healthy educational environment to indigenous students.”
The groundbreaking ceremony for the two new Kapuso classrooms at Calassitan Elementary School was held last April 28, 2021 and attended by Catibog and representatives of GMAKF's multisectoral partners - Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr.; Sto. Niño, Cagayan Mayor Atty. Vicente G. Pagurayan; and Cagayan Public Schools District Supervisor Dr. Lauro Daquioag. The Philippine Army fully supports the project through the cooperation of the 5th Infantry Division, 501st Infantry Brigade, 17th Infantry Battalion, 51st Engineer Brigade and the 513 Engineer Combat Battalion. The Army is committed to provide transportation, security and technical, engineering manpower to see the project through. On the other hand, valuable service partners which have provided materials for the construction of the said project are DwightSteel, PPG Coatings (Philippines) Inc., Holcim Philippines Inc., Manila Water Foundation, Isuzu Philippines Corporation, Sanitec Bath and Kitchen Specialist and Yale Home Philippines.
GMA Kapuso Foundation is building a total of six classrooms at Calassitan Elementary School and Abariongan Elementary School in Sto. Niño, Cagayan and Bural Elementary School in Rizal, Cagayan which are set to be turned within the year. A steel and concrete bridge will also be built at Barangay Umiray, Dingalan, Aurora while six classrooms at Villa Aurora Elementary School in Maria Aurora, Aurora will be rehabilitated this year as well. These infrastructure projects serve as disaster relief interventions under GMAKF's Operation Bayanihan disaster relief program. For more updates on GMAKF's current and upcoming projects and details on how to donate, visit www.gmanetwork.com/kapusofoundation.
