Petron Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Petron Corporation, continues to help thousands of underprivileged students prepare for the new school year through its annual school supplies distribution activity.
Petron Foundation recently took this commitment to Bacolod City as it held a distribution event at SM Bacolod to benefit almost 300 scholars in the province. The event was attended by Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Cynthia Dimavivas and barangay chairman Ricky Mijares of Barangay Banago.
This activity is part of the company’s banner education program Tulong Aral ng Petron (TAP) which aims to give underprivileged Filipinos access to formal education.
TAP scholars each received a full set of school supplies, including a pair of shoes and a backpack. Beyond these benefits, they are also provided with daily meal allowances (for elementary) and leadership and life skills seminars (for high school), while their parents receive different skills training and other support services.
The series of distribution events kicked off last July 13 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City followed by events in Bacolod, Batangas, Cavite, and Pampanga.
Distributions were also held in SM malls in Cebu, Iloilo, Palawan, and soon in Petron facilities in Agusan del Norte, La Union, and Tacloban. The series of events will benefit approximately 3,000 TAP scholars in total.
Centered on the importance of education to alleviate poverty, the program has sent over 12,000 children to school and graduated nearly 8,000 scholars from elementary to college since 2002. Petron has also expanded the program’s coverage to include children from its fenceline communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“Through Tulong Aral ng Petron, we are planting the seeds of HOPE in these children by giving them a chance to be productive citizens through education,” said Petron Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“More than just a CSR program, TAP is our strategic contribution to nation-building. By continuing to invest in our youth, we are developing future generations of professionals who will not only help sustain our economic growth but also become passionate advocates for doing good and doing well for our company, our communities, and our country,” he added. (PR)
