The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
As part of its celebration of its 10th anniversary, Sterling Bank of Asia, one of the leading thrift banks in the Philippines, recently partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) and took part in the 2017 Brigada Eskwela program by helping refurbish selected schools in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao in time for the start of the school year.
Living up to the principle of banking to a different beat and promoting social responsibility, Sterling Bank of Asia employees helped in the repairs, repainting, and cleaning of its adopted classrooms in San Juan National High School in San Juan City, Metro Manila; Labangon Elementary School in Cebu City; and F. Bustamante National High School in Davao City on May 20, 2017.
Besides restoring the five classrooms in San Juan, two classrooms in Cebu, and two classrooms in Davao, Sterling Bank of Asia, together with the employees, also donated 450 new armchairs to the chosen schools.
Reiterating the lender’s unique proposition of being a “Bank with a Heart,” Sterling Bank of Asia President and CEO Cecilio D. San Pedro said, “This project is a continuance of Sterling Bank of Asia’s dedication to giving back and being a pillar of the community.”
“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we want to make it more meaningful by expanding our community works that make a difference to the people. We want to underline the bank’s decade of heartfelt service to the community. This is particularly close to my heart, as it involves education,” he added.
One of Sterling Bank of Asia’s recipient schools, San Juan National High School, is the only public high school in the country’s smallest city. It has a population of over 3,700 and an average of 45 to 50 students to a room. The improvement of its five classrooms and the donation of armchairs will help provide an environment that is conducive for learning.
This project of Sterling Bank of Asia is the first partnership of the public high school with a private institution. According to San Juan National High School Principal Lucila Galang Artuyo, such partnerships between public schools and private companies should happen more often.
“We are very grateful to have been a recipient of Sterling Bank of Asia’s volunteerism project. It will make such a difference to the students while they are learning. Private companies like Sterling Bank of Asia are the ones that have the capability to provide what the schools need, and we hope that this continues on for years to come,” she added.
“Brigada Eskwela is all about community service and stakeholders’ participation. It is not just merely making improvements in the school. And when (the) education of our country’s children is concerned, we are all stakeholders,” Artuyo said.