UPAA-CNMI donates money for RP classroom

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association-CNMI Chapter yesterday presented its $4,000 check donation for the construction of a classroom in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines.

Alumni president Concepcion van Der Veen said the group has selected Calamba National High School based primarily on its need for such facilities.

The school is said to have 80 students per classroom. Due to limited facilities, it holds two class sessions daily—from 6am to 1pm and 1pm to 8pm.

“We’re very happy that we’ve finally come up with this amount. We thank everybody who helped us in the fundraising,” van Der Veen said.

Philippine consul Wenceslao Gayola expressed his appreciation to the group “for your great concern for the plight of our students back home.”

“I’m sure that they (students) will be very grateful. I’m really thankful for this worthy endeavor,” he said.

Philippine Labor representative Joanne Lavilla said UPAA’s donation was the first from the Filipino community in the Commonwealth, but overall, it was the fourth to come from the CNMI.

The first three classroom donations came from businessman Jerry Tan, she said.

Lavilla said a total of 15 pledges have been made in the CNMI for the donate-a-classroom project in the Philippines.

Meantime, Van Der Veen said that the group will continue to fundraise for the construction of a partner classroom for the same school.

She said another organization, the Marianas Filipino Women Association, has pledged to shoulder $2,000 for the second project.

It means that UPAA-CNMI still needs to find a $2,000 to match it.

UPAA’s first donation of $4,000 came from the group’s fundraising as well as from a business group, U.S.-based Pleasant Care headed by Sedy Demesa-Bernabe and Ding De Lima.

Demesa-Bernabe and De Lima, who are currently on island, donated $2,000 to the group for the classroom project.

GOLD COIN AUCTION

Van Der Veen, meantime, who is soon leaving for the U.S., said that she is willing to auction her 2000 Sydney Oylmpic Games gold coin for the project.

“We need $2,000 more so I’m putting my collector’s item gold coin on auction. If anybody is interested, they can contact me,” said van Der Veen.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (telephone 235-3411) can provide contact information for Van Der Veen.