More than 4,000 students in Leyte will be enjoying their classes in typhoon-resistant classrooms. A total of 48 new classrooms were turned over to 18 schools in Kananga, Ormoc, Merida, Isabel and Albuera by the Lopez Group as part of its Leyte Rebuilding Project. Clarissa Ocampo, Managing Director of ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI) and Richard Tantoco, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Energy Development Corporation (EDC) led the turn over of the new classrooms.
The 18 schools are Albuera National High School in Albuera; Ipil National High School, Valencia National High School, G.B. Lurenana National High School, Liloan National High School, Dolores National High School, Cabintan National High School and P. G. Banez National High School in Ormoc; Lim-ao National High School, Rizal National High School, Kananga National High School and Montebello National High School in Kananga; Matlang National High School, Puting Bato National High School and San Francisco National High School in Isabel, and Calunangan National High School, Libas National High School and Merida Vocational School in Merida.
The new classrooms costing P1.2 million each were built by the Lopez Group using funds donated to ALKFI. EDC which operates the Leyte geothermal power plants donated P4.5 million and supervised the construction of the classrooms.
EDC tapped W. V. Coscolluela and Associates and Sy^2 and Associates for the architectural and structural designs, respectively. The classrooms were designed to withstand wind velocity of 250 kilometers per hour, pursuant to the standard of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Minimum Performance Standards and Specification (MPSS) of the Department of Education (DepEd) for typhoon-resilient structures. The classrooms also feature new ceilings and wider windows for better ventilation. Other added amenities are wider blackboards, electric fans and comfort rooms.
In his speech during the turnover, Governor Leopoldo Petilla lauded the project and said that “what the Lopez Group is doing is not just building classrooms but building the future of the students.”
Last September 2014, the Lopez Group finished construction of 24 typhoon-resistant classrooms for the following schools: New Ormoc City National High School and Milagro Elementary School in Ormoc City, Matlang Elementary School in Isabel, and San Joaquin National High School in Palo.
The Lopez Group’s Leyte Rebuilding Project has programmed to construct 64 new classrooms and repair of 10 classrooms in 23 schools in Ormoc, Kananga, Albuera, Merida, Palo and Isabel using donations to ALKFI.
An additional 32 classrooms will also be constructed in Ormoc City and Kananga using funds from companies under the Lopez Group. This project will support the Adopt a School Program (ASP) of DepEd.
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is a pioneer in generating 100% clean, renewable, and reliable power as an electricity supplier in the Philippines for over 40 years. With power plants all over Visayas and Mindanao, the company is one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in Asia and is expanding its reach in the international market, allowing it to offer customers affordable energy rates. EDC also strives to provide the best customer service it can to all its clients by having helpful salespeople and easy to understand contracts. Because of all of this, it is poised to become the premier supplier of electricity for the Philippines’ Green Energy Option Program. EDC takes its mission as a renewable energy provider seriously and goes beyond sustainability by investing in programs that enhance the environment and empower its partner communities, thereby fostering regenerative development. The company has also been working toward being carbon-neutral by improving its energy efficiency, as well as implementing various greening projects to ensure that its mission to provide future generations with a better life remains intact.
