Maasin City gets 6 classrooms from FFCCCI

By ERNA S. GORNE, (PIA Southern Leyte)
August 26, 2006

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte  –  The school children need not seek shelter under the makeshift classroom to accommodate some of their classes anymore. This time classes will be held comfortably at newly constructed school building by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI) in Lib-og Elementary School, Maasin City.

No less than Mr. Hao Ping Hong, the FFCCCI donor of the 2-classroom school building personally signed the deed of donation together with Governor Rosette Lerias, Congressman Roger Mercado and Vice Mayor Maloney Samaco in the series of turn-over ceremonies held last August 18, 2006 in the presence of FFCCCI – Tacloban President Henry Yao Kasin and other donors.

The two other school buildings were turned over to Lonoy Elementary School and Maasin Central School, who caters to over a thousand elementary school pupils, both in Maasin City. All these were also personally turned over by donors Mr. Johnny Conbankiat and Mr. William Y. Castro, all FFCCCI members based in Manila.

Lib-og Elementary School was one time the object of media mileage years back upon discovering that at least two classes were held under the shade of the trees which bring about GMA News featuring the lack of classrooms over the airwaves as they also built makeshift classroom in the said school.

Governor Lerias then sought the assistance of Mr. Henry Yao Kasin for Lib-og Elementary School and developed the site for the location of the area.

The donated classrooms in Lonoy Elementary School is said to have been solicited by Lt. General Bonifacio Ramos, the Commanding General of the Northern Luzon Command of the Philippine Army, who graduated his primary education in this school, it was learned.

Each of the 2-classroom building amounted to Php 340,000.00.

Aside from the school buildings, Mr. Henry Yao Kasin also informed Gov. Lerias that the same group will furnish 12 ceiling fans for the classrooms and 400 pieces of school bags for the children to each of the school buildings donated in Maasin City.

While Mr. Castro, who also donated another school building at Sogod National High School, was very delighted that he also handed over Php 10,000.00 cash assistance each to the teaching staff of the two schools. Mr. Castro is the owner of the Gibi Footwear Corporation.

The school building donations are joint undertaking of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Volunteer Fire Brigade under the "Operation: Barrio School" project.