Pototan Acting Vice Mayor Kent Peñaflorida, Assistant School Principal ND OIC Ma. Grace P. Coronado, Schools Division Superintendent schools Division of Iloilo Dr. Roel Bermejo, Insular Foundation Executive Director Ana Maria R. Soriano, former Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr., Insular Life Executive Chair Nina D. Aguas, Lot Donor Marietta P. Sorongon, Insular Life Executive Vice President and Chief Finance Officer Claro P. Bonilla, and Alay Balay Dev’t Corporation Director David Liban, Jr.
To support public school education, the Insular Foundation turned over a disaster-resilient three-classroom school building to the teachers and students of Alberto Sorongon memorial National High School in Barangay Iwa Pototan, Iloilo.
InLife Executive Chairman and Insular Foundation Chairman Nina D. Aguas led the turn-over of the school building, February 4, 2020.
Ms. Aguas said the Foundation chose the school to help address its 45 students to a classroom ratio. She added that the school’s proximity to InLife’s Iloilo office will enable InLife employees and agents to further support the school through Brigiada Eskwela, and Financial Literacy talks for teachers and students.
“Insular Foundation believes that investing in the development of the human capital through education is a big step towards making life better for our people and our country,” she said.
Ms. Aguas noted the Foundation focuses on education which levels the playing field for young Filipinos, and provides immeasurable development and social impact to the country.
“Education is an enabler of opportunities for the less fortunate but deserving and intelligent young learners. Insular Foundation’s programs in education such as this classroom construction project, is our way of being a force for good for others,” she said.
The InLife school building in Alberto Sorongon Memorial National High School is PWD-friendly, and compliant with DepEd’s performance standards and specifications. Each classroom includes one toilet for boys and one toilet for girls.
The school building is fire resistant – marked with three-hour fire resistive rating against one-hour rating of conventional buildings; flood resistant – elevated by 1 meter from the ground but in case of floods, its roof deck may be used for evacuation; typhoon resistant – has wind load design of 250 kph against 200 kph for conventional buildings; and earthquakes resistant – has seismic load resistance of more than intensity 7 against intensity 6 for conventional buildings.
The InLife Classroom Construction Project was completed in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) – Division of Iloilo, in support of the government’s Adopt-A-School Program.
The InLife school building in Iloilo City is the fourth school building donated by Insular Foundation, Insular Life’s corporate social responsibility arm. The Foundation has earlier donated a school building in Tacloban, and two school buildings in Northern Samar.
Ms. Aguas further said the Foundation recently marked 50 years of expanding InLife’s commitment to bring “a lifetime for good to Filipinos” through its development programs in education, environmental protection, disaster response and rehabilitation, and employee volunteerism.
