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The Ayala Coop continues to take its corporate social responsibility to heart, traveling all the way down to Palawan last December to visit 10 schools with 3,250 pupils and giving away 10,000 storybooks to the schoolchildren while conducting storytelling and environmental awareness sessions with them.

The storybook donation, which is worth P1 million, is part of the Coop’s participation in the “P100 for 200,000 Storybooks” project of Ayala Foundation and the Department of Education, and is another testimony to the Coop’s increasingly well-known involvement in CSR and volunteer programs.

Some 22 Coop personnel led by General Manager Dina Orosa, together with Ayala Land and Ayala Foundation representatives, participated in the CSR activities in Palawan that saw them personally distribute the books and conduct the storytelling sessions.

PMES seminar for Ten Knots

The Coop also undertook another major undertaking by conducting orientation sessions or pre-membership education seminars (PMES) for all the employees of Ten Knots Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corporation, which oversees all the resorts in El Nido.  Ten Knots, which is doing business as El Nido Resorts, was founded in 2001 and has headquarters in Makati City.

The schools visited by the Coop where four teams conducted storytelling activities before schoolchildren are the San Fernando, Buluang and Sibaltan Elementary Schools, which were taken care of by Team A, the Barotuang, Pasadena and Calitang Elementary Schools handled by Team B, the Manlag and Bebeladan Elementary Schools under Team C, and the Villa Libertad and El Nido Elementary Schools presided over by Team D.

Storytelling teams

Team A was composed of Aika Tacub as leader, and Janice Tolentino, Elinore Abellare, Caze Sanchez, Jen Luyun and Marlon Guzman as members.  Team B, meanwhile, was made up of Joy de Asis who served as leader, and Jhona Contillo, Gemma Magalona, Mispah Villacarlos, Sarah Razonable and Lenny Sante as members.  Team C, on the other hand, was headed by Ryan Ani with Conrad Gasmin, Rowena Talampas, Norie Poot and Finance and Administration Head Jennifer Cura as members, while Team D was led by Emily Montino with Melton Destacamento, Nelson Diniay, Olive Ablaza and Ms. Orosa backing her up.

Each team was divided into two-man tandems, which then simultaneously read stories taken from the storybooks to the pupils in each school.  Each tandem also conducted an environmental awareness session before their subjects to initiate them on a serious and relevant concern.  Among the stories read by the participating Coop personnel were “Ang Barumbadong Bus,” ”Chenelyn, Chenelyn,” “Si Pilandok at ang Manok,” “Si Emang Engkantada,” “Just Add Dirt,” and “Tiktaktok at Pikpakbum.”

Previous CSR activities

Just last September, the Coop also visited Jaclupan National High School in Cebu, Canlaas High School in Bohol, Caunayan Elementary School and Saud Elementary School in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, as well as De la Paz West Elementary School in Biñan, Laguna to distribute school kits to schoolchildren there.  Earlier in the year, the Coop also visited seven other schools, including Talipanan Mangyan Elementary School in Mindoro, Buklod Bahayan Daycare Center and Tartaria Elementary School in Cavite, De la Paz Elementary School in Laguna, and Caparispisan Primary School in Laoag City.

The Coop donated a total of 5,167 school kits worth P2.8 million in 2016 alone, distributing them to elementary and high school students in 12 public schools throughout the Philippines.  This is in partnership with companies under the Ayala Group.  This has brought the total number of school kits the Coop has given away to poor schoolchildren to 10,692 since the advocacy started four years ago.

The Ayala Coop staff led by General Manager Dina Orosa (back row, fourth from left) poses for posterity with cultural dancers of the Sibaltan Elementary School during the Coop team’s visit to the Sibaltan Museum last December.

Schoolchildren of the San Fernando Elementary School are the picture of delight as they gather around the storybooks donated by the Ayala Coop.

Elinore Abellare, Caze Sanchez, Marlon Guzman and Team A leader Aika Tacub (second from right) are shown with the San Fernando Elementary School pupils and their mentors.

Aika Tacub reads before Buluang schoolchildren a story, “Ang Barumbadong Bus,” from one of the storybooks donated to them by the Coop.

It’s Elinore Abellare’s turn to do the storytelling before Sibaltan schoolchildren.

Coop personnel pose near the beach with their hosts in El Nido when the Coop visited the Sibaltan Museum.

Dancers from the Sibaltan Elementary School perform for their visitors.

The team led by Joy de Asis (left) is shown with teachers of the Calitang Elementary School during the Coop’s turnover of storybooks to the school.

Bebeladan Elementary schoolchildren display the “100 pesos for 200 Storybooks” banner as they join Coop personnel led by Ryan Ani during their visit to the school.