New Classroom Building Eases Overcrowding at Iloilo City’s Largest Public High School

Iloilo City, Philippines — A new two-storey, 10-classroom building has ended shifting classes for Grade 9 students at Iloilo City National High School (ICNHS), the city's largest public high school with around 6,500 students. Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) turned over the building in September.

For Grade 9 students, the impact was immediate. “The classrooms are specifically useful for the Grade 9 learners so we no longer have to do shifting classes,” ICNHS principal Alpha Java said.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Maria Lourdes S. Treñas-Chu said the project could serve as a model for faster local school construction. “I called our engineers and asked, ‘Pwede ba ang structure natin kagaya ng Security Bank? Maganda na, ang bilis pa.’ Our city needs more classrooms, and we hope we can deliver them as fast as Security Bank. We want to apply the same technology to our school projects,” she said.

The project also shows how public- and private-sector organizations can work together to address classroom shortages. Under its Build a School, Build a Nation program, SBFI funded and managed construction; A.C. Steel Industries supplied steel materials; Signify Philippines donated lights, switches, and outlets; and LBC Express, through the LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation, subsidized delivery of SBFI-provided materials. The Iloilo City government provided backfill and support for electrical loads and lines, while the Department of Education supplied classroom furniture.

SBFI Chairman Rafael Simpao, Jr. said partnerships are essential to expanding access to quality education and encouraged more organizations to support similar initiatives.

“But perseverance alone is not enough. We have learned that lasting change requires partnerships. That is why our journey has been holistic and multisectoral, because education is not the work of one institution alone, but of an entire community working together,” Simpao said.

The Iloilo project is the first of eight school buildings SBFI plans to donate in 2026. By year-end, the Foundation expects its total contribution since it began building classrooms in 2011 to reach 961 classrooms in 159 schools across 95 municipalities and cities nationwide. In Iloilo, that impact is already helping students spend more time learning and less time waiting for classroom space to become available.

For more information, visit www.securitybank.com/foundation.

SBFI Gives Plastic Waste a Second Life through Classroom Chairs

What was once discarded plastic is now helping children learn in Misamis Occidental.

Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) donated 50 new classroom chairs made entirely from recycled plastic to Clarin Elementary School in Plaridel, providing students with much-needed furniture while giving waste a second life. The chairs were produced by The Plastic Flamingo (The Plaf), a social enterprise that transforms plastic waste into durable furniture. Delivery to the school was sponsored by LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation.

For years, Clarin Elementary School relied on aging classroom chairs that had been repaired repeatedly to keep them usable. Some students used stools without writing tables, while broken chairs were patched together as often as possible.

For the school's 118 learners, the donation helped address a longstanding shortage of classroom furniture.

"It is not only a donation but an answered prayer and a reminder that our learners are cared for and remembered," said School Head Maria Erica C. Ligason.

The chairs also offer a lesson in sustainability. Made entirely from recycled plastic, they show how discarded materials can be transformed into something useful and durable.

For Clarin Elementary School, the chairs address a longstanding need while giving discarded plastic a new purpose inside the classroom.

For more information, visit www.securitybank.com/foundation.

LBC Foundation: Moving Lives through Education

The welfare of Filipino children and the youth has been one of the focus areas of LBC Foundation. As the Corporate Social Responsibility Arm of LBC, the Foundation group has constantly looked for ways to significantly impact communities and spur positive change in the lives of Filipinos.
The LBC Foundation financially supports more than 100 children through its scholarship program where scholars are given access to quality education as well as nutritious food guide, clean water and health care. By partnering with the Office of the Vice President and the PhilAm Foundation, the Foundation has helped build school buildings for students of the Bote Integrated School in Catanduanes and the Mapandi Elementary School in Marawi. The Foundation also directly donated teaching tools and equipment to the Damilag Integrated School in Bukidnon and the Aloleng Elementary School in Pangasinan, among others.

The LBC Foundation is proud to have also partnered with other non-profit foundations that have brought hope and joy to Filipino children. Two foundations in particular have helped thousands of kids across the country. One is the Yellow Boat of Hope, a foundation that works to improve children’s access to education and makes it easier for kids to go to school and stay in school. The LBC Foundation provides free shipping and delivery for the school supplies, backpacks, computers, printers, tablets, and all other materials that the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation sends to school children all across the country.

Another organization that the LBC Foundation has partnered with is Project Pearls, a California-based foundation that aims to end child poverty and empower parents through livelihood and education programs. LBC Foundation provides free shipping and delivery for school materials and learning tools donated by the Project Pearls Foundation to underprivileged students in Tondo and Bulacan.  LBC also assigns volunteer employees to distribute these items to beneficiaries as well as participate in the programs and activities prepared by Project Pearls. To date, the partnership has brought smiles to more than 1800 children.

LBC believes that it is important to establish a benchmark not only in business but in community and nation building as well. Through the LBC Foundation, LBC will continue to engage its employees and leverage its extensive network and vast resources to create a significant impact on the Filipino people who have allowed LBC to grow through the years.

LBC is the Philippines’ market leader in retail and corporate courier & cargo, money remittance, and logistics services. With a growing network of over 6,400 branches, hubs & warehouses, partners, and agents in over 30 countries, LBC is committed to moving lives, businesses, and communities and delivering smiles around the world. Listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange through LBC Express Holdings, Inc., LBC aims to deliver value to all of its stakeholders, as it has for over 60 years.  Founded in 1945 as a brokerage and air cargo agent, LBC pioneered time-sensitive cargo delivery and 24-hour door-to- door delivery in the Philippines. Today, it is the most trusted logistics brand of the Global Filipino. LBC can move it for you: visit www.LBCexpress.com, or call telephone +632 8585 999 (Metro Manila), 1 800 10 8585 999 (Provincial), +632 9086 522 (Solutions) and follow LBCExpress (Facebook and Twitter).