Del Rosario dares businessmen to get involved in public education

Del Rosario dares businessmen to get involved in public education
By Lydia C. Pendon
The Daily Guardian
August 16, 2011

ONE of the country’s top businessmen and trader has hurled a challenge to the business community to get involved in elementary and high school education by helping provide accessibility and quality education to those who can barely afford to go to school.

Ramon R. del Rosario Jr., president and chief executive officer of Phinma Corporation, owner of Phinma-University of Iloilo here, said that private business in Manila and Iloilo could partner with the government in providing better education and upgrade the National Achievement Test (NAT) mean percentage score of 40, 44, 47 in science, math and English in Iloilo City’s elementary and secondary education.

The topnotch businessman disclosed that the country needs 120,000 new classrooms for public education and that the private sector could also help enhance and subsidize the training needs of teachers to improve teacher’s quality.

Del Rosario was a major speaker during the 1st Iloilo City Business Summit with the topic “World Class Education Towards Entrepreneurship spearheaded by the Iloilo City government and the Iloilo City Trade and Investment Promotions Board.

Aside from several business corporations he headed, del Rosario is currently chairman of the National Museum of the Philippines, the Makati Business Club, Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), Philippines-US Business Council, Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA). co-Chairman of the National Mission Council of de la Salle Philippines, Chairman of the Board of Advisers of the Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Center for Corporate Social Responsibility at the Asian Institute of Management, Vice chairman of Caritas (Manila) and member of the Board of Trustees of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), Synergeia and the PinoyME Foundation.

He is the sole private sector representative in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) of the Philippine government.