Story and Photos By Georgene Quilaton-Tambiga
Contributed Photos By Charles Hernandez, LPT
Four hundred, ninety-one learners. Thirty teachers and school administrators. Three beneficiary schools. One collaboration between BPI Foundation, Inc. (BPIF) and Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos, Inc.’s Community Extension and Development Office (CEDO).
Bagong Taon, Bagong Pag-asa Project and CEDO’s G.U.G.M.A. Program found fulfillment yesterday, March 27, 2025, as the printers, ink supplies, boxes of bond paper, teacher’s materials and school supplies were turned over. The ceremony was at Katiclan Elementary School, Barangay Rizal, San Carlos City.
During his speech, Rev. Fr. Cristopher C. Maspara, OAR, president of CST-R, honored the memory of Mr. Noel Tiu, who was program manager of BPI Foundation. Mr. Tiu was instrumental in conceiving the Bagong Taon, Bagong Pag-asa Turnover of Printers and School Supplies for Ansulag, Katiclan and Nabataan Elementary Schools.
The planning began while BPIF officers together with the Department of Science and Technology-Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII) visited CST-R and discussed collaborations—an occasion that Fr. Maspara described as “plans over a cup of coffee.”
Ms. Juvylyn Reniva, associate director of BPIF, during her turn to speak to the teachers, pupils and parents said that BPIF continues to emphasize its motto: Kasama Lahat sa Pag-unlad, which means that no gets left behind especially because “Quality Education will help Filipinos become successful.”
Speaking for their respective school communities, the principals, namely Ms. Rose Almaras of Katiclan ES, Teoducia Limot (head teacher) of Nabataan ES and Jose Hernan Balansag of Ansulag ES, expressed their gratitude to BPI Foundation and to CST-R.
Pupils of Katiclan ES sang their “Thank Yous” for the benefactors after they each received an expanding folder full of notebooks, pens, pencils and pads of paper appropriate for their respective grade levels.
It can be recalled that BPIF with DOST-STII also collaborated with CEDO to turnover STARBOOKS Kiosks to the three CST-R adopted public elementary schools last May 14, 2024. The collaboration paved the way for schools under the Department of Education Division of San Carlos City and some private Catholic schools to have their laptops loaded with DOST’s e-Library.
CST-R adopted Ansulag ES, Katiclan ES and Nabataan ES in 2021 and has since brought a network of private institutions, volunteer groups and government agencies to help in supporting the cause for Quality Education.
