Last June 10, 2008 was a celebrated partnership between two new groups – P. Guevara, one of the biggest elementary schools in Binondo, Manila and iRemit, a  global remittance company serving the remittance needs of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) worldwide. This was marked by the distribution of school supplies composed of notebooks, pencils and boxes of crayons all placed in plastic envelopes the grade 1 students can bring around in school. According to P. Guevara’s principal, this will go well with the recent schoolbags provided by Manila mayor Alfredo Lim.

P. Guevara Elementary School is headed by Principal Marina Santos, one of our passionate and dedicated Synergeia champions. A former principal of Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Tondo, (note: also a Synergeia Manila site that is doing immensely well with our Synergeia Reading Proficiency Program and is now running on its fourth year!) Dr. Santos was responsible for the transformation of the students’ performance in Reading and for mobilizing the community towards pro-active involvement in the locality’s education affairs. Because of astounding improvements in MLQ ES, Principal Santos is bringing and sharing her experience to P. Guevara and its surrounding communities.

Principal Marina Santos gratefully acknowledges the gifts of school supplies of I-Remit to the children of P. Guevara Elementary School.

The iRemit contingent – composed of its President & CEO, Harrison Jacildo, Justine Castellon, Fitzgerald Duba and Malou Victoria, Assistant Vice President and Head for Human Capital Resources Management – feverishly distributed the assembled school supplies to around 700 expectant Grade 1 students assigned to the morning class schedule. They all maintained a cheerful disposition in spite of the bright and hot sun beating down on their heads and backs. It was all worth it for the children.

Some of the Grade 1 students’ parents were also there to witness the generosity, cooperation and concern of iRemit in education. One parent thanked iRemit for the school provisions and wished them good will.

Mr. Jacildo thanked Principal Santos and Synergeia for making this partnership possible and he hopes that iRemit can be involved with more education activities for P. Guevara ES. Principal Santos was much grateful and is excited about the partnership.

The simple event ended with shining, happy smiles from everybody. It was truly a good start to the first day of classes for the grade 1 pupils and a good start between Synergeia and its newfound partners.