DepEd recognizes SM group’s continued investments in education
SM Foundation, SM Prime Holdings Inc. and SM Synergy Properties Holdings Corporation are among the partners recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd) in its event “Adopt A School Program: 17 Years of Celebrating Partnerships” on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at the Department of Education (DepEd) Complex in Pasig City. Spearheaded by DepEd Secretary Brother Armin Luistro and Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages, USEC Mario Deriquito, the Adopt A School Program invites the private sector to partner with DepEd in support of better quality education. Partners may choose to help build more public school classrooms or support education enhancement programs like teacher trainings, in-school feeding programs and other initiatives. In his speech, Secretary Br. Luistro expressed deep appreciation for the partners and presented DepEd’s vision moving forward, encouraging partners to look beyond building classrooms to help fill the other gaps in the public education sector of the country.
SM Foundation recognized for its “valuable contribution and continuing support for quality education”. In photo (from left): Department of Education Secretary Brother Armin Luistro; SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) Consultant for Corporate Affairs Juris Umali-Soliman; SMIC Vice President for Internal Communications Koleen Davila-Palaganas; SM Foundation Executive Director for Education Linda Atayde; and Undersecretary for Partnerships and External Linkages, Mario Deriquito.
To date, SM Foundation, in partnership with other SM companies and private institutions, has built 69 public school buildings with 204 classrooms. The school building program is part of SM Foundation’s holistic community development programs which include the College Scholarship Program, Health and Wellness Program, Farmer’s Training and Livelihood Program, Shelter and mall-based programs through SM Cares.