SM Foundation unveils 1st PWD-friendly school building

ORMOC CITY , Philippines  — SM Foundation, in partnership with donor UBS Investments Philippines, recently turned over to the administrators of Cogon Central School here its first ever person with disability (PWD)-friendly building under its “Adopt A School” program.

The new two-story, four-classroom building is also the first school building donation of UBS, according to the company’s compliance officer Nina Aguilar, and the first two-story edifice in the school in 20 years, according to principal Marita Albienda.

SM Foundation executive director Carmen Linda Atayde said it is the foundation’s 83rd school building in the country since the program was launched in 1992.

Designed by SM president Hans Sy himself, an engineer by profession, the sturdy school building survived three earthquakes “without a hairline crack” while it was being constructed, SM representative Juris Soliman said.

The classrooms are fully furnished, each with a curved blackboard that would enable students all the way to the back row to read well the writings on the board; 50 armchairs, five of which are left-handed; a toilet; electric fans; teachers’ desks and chairs; and a PWD-friendly comfort room beneath the stairs on the left.

Atayde said the school building donation was just one of many programs of SM Foundation for Ormoc City, where a mall is soon opening. She said that wherever SM is present, they make sure that the community is also served by the foundation.

Among the foundation’s other programs are college and technical-vocational scholarships, medical missions, health and wellness, and farmers’ training.

Present to receive the donation in behalf of the Department of Education and the local government of Ormoc were superintendent Manuel Albano and councilors Nolito Quilang and Vincent Rama.