Globe provides temporary classrooms to Guiuan, Eastern Samar students

MANILA, Philippines - “We have already experienced a lot of storms but this is the only time that the school was destroyed. We don’t have any classroom to use anymore. We just asked for tarpaulins to cover the roofs so that the children can still study. It’s a good thing that Globe donated tents.”

This was the lament of Marlon Sayde, head of related subjects department of Guiuan National High School who has been teaching for 15 years as his eyes once again surveyed the destruction caused by Typhoon Yolanda to his school.

Guiuan National High School which serves about 1,500 students, is not alone in the predicament as all public and private learning institutions in the area suffered from blown off roofs and shattered windows, or even worse, crumbled walls, rendering them practically unusable.

However, waiting for the government to address the problem will create a gap in time which could be used for learning, prompting Globe Telecom through its Globe Prepaid brand to partner with the Department of Education (DepEd) in providing temporary classrooms to the students. This intervention ensures that the children will continue getting education while repairs and rebuilding are ongoing.

“Globe supports our future leaders by ensuring that they get good quality education. With this thrust, we decided to assist DepEd in giving the children a chance to catch up with the lessons.  One way of doing this is by providing some tents to serve as temporary classrooms and to shield them from the elements while studying,” said Issa Cabrera, vice president for Globe Prepaid Business.

She added: “All tents are currently being used as academic classrooms and have greatly helped in augmenting the severe shortage brought about by the typhoon. Some tents were deployed inside classrooms where only the roof and ceiling were destroyed while some tents were set up in the open spaces of the school.”

So far, Globe Prepaid has donated 27 tents to three public schools in Guiuan, namely: Guiuan National High School, Cogon Elementary School, and Sulangan Elementary School and one private school, Missionary Sacred Heart School.

As the only sustainable telecommunications company in the Philippines, Globe is committed to helping the government in nation-building to create a wonderful world not only for survivors of disasters but also for underserved Filipino communities so that they can participate and contribute to the country’s progress.