Citibank donates school chairs to Davao schools

Citibank donates school chairs to Davao schools
By Mai Gevera
Philippine Information Agency
January 27, 2011

DAVAO CITY, Jan. 27 (PIA)--- Two public schools in Davao City get 321 chairs each from Citibank/Citigroup as its way of helping the Department of Education (DepEd) fill in gaps in school equipment.

Matina Aplaya Elementary School and A. Mabini National High School in Davao City have been chosen as recipients of school chairs from Citibank.

Matina Aplaya Elementary School needs 410 school chairs with only 575 serviceable chairs at the moment. The school caters mostly indigenous children belonging to the Sama Badjau tribe who resides in the shoreline area of Matina Aplaya. Presently, the school has a total enrolment of 1,223 students and are being served by 33 teaching personnel.

Most of the students enrolled at Apolinario Mabini National High School (AMNHS) belong to poor families whose livelihood ranges from construction workers, laborers, vendors, drivers, and some are employed as workers in public and private offices.

Presently, the school has a total enrolment of 1,347 students being served by 34 teaching personnel. With 23 classrooms, AMNHS has 1,072 school chairs to meet the seating needs of the students.

Investing in educational infrastructure, Citigroup has chosen to invest in the children’s future. Citigroup’s history in the Philippines dates back to 1902 when the International Banking Corporation established a branch in Manila and another one in Cebu in 1904.

One of the largest foreign commercial bank in the country in terms of customers, assets, revenues, employees and domestic franchises, Citigroup has been consistently ranked as among the top commercial banks in the Philippines.

The company has been involved in various corporate endeavors since becoming a member of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) in 1971, mostly in education. Livelihood, community development, micro credit, health, social services, culture and arts.

PBSP is a private non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting the business sector’s commitment to social development. Organized in December 1970 by 50 of the country’s prominent business leaders, PBSP has since grown to become the nation’s largest business-led social development foundation. (PIA XI/Mai Gevera)