Epson Precision (Philippines) Inc. (EPPI) — in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) — donated 405 school desks to three public schools in Lipa City Batangas: Inosluban-Marawoy National High School, Pinagtungulan National High School, and Pinagkawitan National High School.
Epson’s gift was in support of the President Corazon Aquino School Desk Project, which was founded in 2002.
EPPI president Kazuyuki Amano, General Manager Takeshi Horiuchi, and Environment Manager Joyce Tan led the turn-over ceremony, which was held at the Lipa City Division Office last July. Victoria Eliza “Viel” Aquino-Dee, sister of President Benigno Aquino III, graced the ceremony.
“Youth and Education are among the main advocacies of Epson Precision (Philippines) Inc. In the past, we have supported 12 elementary schools through book donation. This time, we wanted to ensure that sufficient school desks and chairs are provided to a growing population of students in public schools of the communities we serve,” said Tan.
In Lipa City alone, the backlog for school desks is around 2,417 units due to an unexpected 35% rise in the student enrollment rate for school year 2013. Epson was the first company to respond to this need.
In his message, Amano stated that, “all CSR projects of Epson became possible through the help of EPPI employees. By properly segregating the waste coming from production and its process, the waste becomes valuable, which in turn generates (monetary) income to the company. Through this, activities such as textbook donation, tree planting for teens, and so on were made possible.”
Aquino-Dee expressed her delight that, “Education is supported by both the internal and external stakeholders.” She extended her gratitude to Epson on behalf of President Aquino for the patronage of projects and activities designed not only to help the Philippine economy, but also to provide hope to the Filipino youth by encouraging them to continue their studies and strive for a better future.
Despite how much education is valued in the Philippines, the nationwide ratio of education is low. For every 10 children who finish grade school, only six will continue to secondary school, and ultimately, only one will go to university. For this reason, EPPI focuses on projects that provide support for the youth to stay in school.
