AboitizPower, Boheco II donate computers to remote Bohol school

April 04, 2016

Students

of San Jose Elementary and High School in Mabini, Bohol no longer have to walk more than a kilometer to the national highway and board a bus that would cost them P15 one way to do research for their assignments and projects.

The school became the first recipient of the joint computer donation project of AboitizPower--through the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.--and the Bohol Electric Cooperative II (Boheco II).

San Jose Elementary and High School is located more than 15 kilometers from the center of Mabini, a fourth income class municipality found 104 kilometers northeast of Tagbilaran City.

Maricel Selmaro, teacher in charge of San Jose High School, shed tears during the ceremonial turnover of 10 computer sets, one desk jet printer and 10 tables and chairs.

“These are tears of joy. We are blessed to be chosen for this project despite the remoteness of the school,” she told officials of Boheco II and AboitizPower during the Feb. 24 turnover.

Fortune was not always kind to San Jose. Eleven years ago, the school lost 28 students to food poisoning. The March 2005 incident, which also made about 100 grade school students sick, was blamed on the cassava cake that was sold by a vendor.

Tito Andamon, Boheco II institutional services department manager, said that San Jose was chosen as a beneficiary because of its history and its remoteness.

“We want to give the students in San Jose the same opportunities that those in urban centers have to level the playing field when they go to college and, eventually, look for jobs,” Andamon said.

Roy Renconada, AboitizPower energy sales senior account officer for the Visayas, said that the group will continue to support Boheco II’s computer donation project.

Daryl James Busbus, student council president, said that the computers will be of great help to the students, many of whom have families who are barely able to afford the cost of the bus trip and computer rental in the Poblacion.

Busbus said that many of the students in San Jose Elementary School and High School have to travel to the Poblacion to be able to use a computer and research in the Internet.

Dina Florence Talan of the Department of Education information and communications technology (ICT) unit said that the computer donation supports the National Government’s goal to prepare students for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.

The computers are equipped with Windows operating system and encyclopedia, among others.

Talan said that DepEd’s nationwide computerization program seeks to provide public schools with up-to-date computers to enhance learning among students but government resources are limited. She said that DepEd is thankful to companies like AboitizPower and Boheco II.

She urged the students to make full use of the computers to enhance their understanding of lessons taught in traditional classroom setting.

Municipal Councilor Myra Colis said that students from remote public schools often have difficulties coping when they transfer to schools in the city because they do not have access to modern teaching facilities, like computers, in their early school years.

She said that the Municipal Government is thankful to Boheco II and AboitizPower for helping students in San Jose. She urged the students to take care of computers and furniture so it can be used by more students.

Boheco also conducted rewiring in the San Jose Elementary and High School to ensure the safety of the school compound’s electrical connections.

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