Hedcor Unveils P2.5-M School Buildings in Davao del Sur and Bukidnon

A back-to-back turnover of Silid Pangarap classrooms from AboitizPower subsidiary Hedcor to Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School in Davao del Sur and Ilignan Elementary School in the province of Bukidnon were recently initiated.

“Sta. Cruz Central is one of the lucky few who are being given this kind of blessing,” said Hazel V. Luna, school principal.

In partnership with the Aboitiz Foundation, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the AGAPP (Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa) Foundation, Hedcor supports DepEd’s K to 12 program by providing better education and improving the academic performance of kindergarten students in its areas of operation.
Over 190 pilot kindergarten-enrollees of Sta. Cruz Central are benefiting from these Silid Pangarap classrooms, while in Ilignan Elementary School, a population of roughly 80 kindergarten students will have the same.

“We are blessed because these classrooms from Hedcor and partners were given to us in an opportune time. These are not ordinary classrooms; these are classrooms with complete facilities, even devices, instructional materials, and all that a teacher and a student would need for the teaching-learning process,” said Luna.

According to AGAPP representative Jocelyn T. Ledesma, the Aboitiz Foundation has been such a “wonderful partner” of AGAPP. Aboitiz has already given 216 kindergarten classrooms out of the 1,050 classrooms donated by AGAPP nationwide, among which 13 were bestowed by Hedcor to its adopted public schools in host communities since 2011.

“On behalf of our AGAPP Chairman Pinky Aquino-Abellada, allow me to thank the many people who made this building possible. AboitizPower is indeed a good neighbor. Where Hedcor is, that community is sure to be abundantly blessed,” Ledesma shared.

“Just recently, Hedcor sent kindergarten teachers to a very significant workshop on a new curriculum required by DepEd and on parent involvement in the early childhood program. This is a complete-package project because through this partnership, the students did not just get new conducive classrooms, but well-trained mentors as well,” said Impasugong, Bukidnon Mayor Anthony Uy.

Sta. Cruz Mayor Joel Ray Lopez, in his response, took the opportunity to extend his gratitude to Hedcor which he defined as “one of the best things that happened in Sta. Cruz”. Parents and kids thanked the corporations behind the project, too.

“As a parent, I am happy because the kids now have classrooms with exceptional facilities that nurture the love for knowledge and mold their characters,” Jessica Lumio, a parent of five-year-old kindergartener, said.

Hedcor as a major partner of Sta. Cruz and a new community-partner of Bukidnon, is committed to continue improving and expanding its social development and environmental efforts as the company continues to grow.

Meanwhile, of the 11 business units of the Aboitiz Group and its social development arm, Aboitiz Foundation, four companies under Hedcor recently received recognition from DepEd for their contribution to the improvement of the country’s public education system during DepEd’s annual partner’s appreciation program.

Hedcor engages in run-of-river hydro development and operations. It is currently expanding its operations in Bukidnon with the 68.8-MW Manolo Fortich Hydro. Currently, Hedcor operates 22 hydropower plants with a total capacity of 185 MW.