CitySavings bankers from 106 branches nationwide participated in this year’s Brigada Eskwela, in partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd) and their respective local government units from May 15 to 20.
Over 800 CitySavings team leaders and team members alike volunteered to do repainting and minor repairs to more than 300 school buildings and facilities all over the country.
In Cebu City Education Secretary Leonor M. Briones, together with other DepEd officials, attended the National Brigada Eskwela kickoff in Ramon Duterte National High School, where she mentioned that: “Education is given much importance in our nation. Parents would even sell their last properties and resources just to send their children to school. Everyone is interested to learn so let’s continue our efforts in Brigada Eskwela. While it is true that financial contributions have increased, this is just one of the measures. We recognize and will continue to work with civic organizations that have already been going out on field and initiating strategies to reach out with the communities.”
Education Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali also emphasized, “Even if we’ll just paint five chairs, if we sum these up, we can see the impact and the beauty that we give to these respective schools. We encourage all our schools to engage in partnerships with all stakeholders, not just during Brigada but throughout the school year.”
“Maraming salamat po sa City Savings Bank sa pagtulong at paglahok sa aming Brigada Eskwela. Kami ay nabuhayan ng pag-asa ng kayo ay kauna-unahang sumadya sa aming paaralan upang magpakita ng bayanihan [Thank you City Savings Bank for helping and joining us in implementing Brigada Eskwela. We felt hope when you were the first to reach out and show the spirit of bayanihan],” Gen. Vicente Lim Elementary School teacher Vilma Mendoza shared from Tondo, Manila.
When asked about the impact of Brigada Eskwela, Mandaue City Central School Principal Claribel Colipapa highlighted that, “The goal of Brigada Eskwela is to create a better learning environment for the students. They are encouraged to study better when they see that their classrooms are clean and well maintained. We are thankful to stakeholders like City Savings Bank for the help extended to our school.”
“The support of City Savings Bank has contributed a lot to the success of Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School’s Brigada Eskwela here in Zamboanga City. The volunteers showed the spirit of bayanihan and sense of community service by repainting our school library”, the school’s Brigada Eskwela Coordinator Emil Aranal shared.
“With this year’s Brigada Eskwela theme, ‘Isang DepEd, Isang Pamayanan, Isang Bayanihan, para sa Handa at Ligtas na Paaralan’, we at CitySavings consider this event as an opportunity for our employees to take part in nation building by painting classrooms and doing minor repairs, in line with our bank’s core values of service and responsibility,” City Savings FVP—Sales and Marketing Head Bombi Dominguez said.