As it marks 34 years of work in education, the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) has broken ground on a project to build 10 classrooms for four public elementary schools in Pangasinan and Bacolod City.
GBF is undertaking the project through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Adopt-a-School Program, working with the department to identify schools where support is most needed. Two classrooms each are planned for Nalsian-Bacayao Elementary School, Bued Elementary School, and San Miguel Elementary School in Calasiao, Pangasinan, while Emiliano Lizares Elementary School in Bacolod City will receive four.
The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation's participation in the DepEd's Adopt-a-School program gets underway. From left: Grace Colet, GBF Executive Director; Dr. Fatima Boado, Schools Division Superintendent of Pangasinan I; Dr. Estela Cariño, DepEd Region I Director; GBF Chairman Lance Gokongwei; DepEd Assistant Secretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development Aurelio Paulo “AP” Bartolome; Calasiao Vice Mayor Kevin Roy Macanlalay; Faraday D. Go, Robinsons Land Executive Vice President; and Honor Mendoza, President and CEO of SPES Construction. IMAGE Gokongwei Brothers Foundation
One of those schools, Nalsian-Bacayao, welcomed educators, local officials and project partners for the ceremonial groundbreaking on September 2. During the event, GBF Chairman Lance Gokongwei formally turned over the classroom donation blueprint to DepEd Assistant Secretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development Aurelio Paulo “AP” R. Bartolome.
“Nagpapasalamat ang DepEd sa patuloy na suporta ng mga private partners tulad ng Gokongwei Brothers Foundation upang mapunuan ang ating kakulangan sa classrooms,” Bartolome said.
In remarks delivered at the ceremony, Gokongwei acknowledged that no single organization could solve the classroom shortage alone, and gave credit to those helping GBF bring this project to the four schools.
“We would like to thank the Department of Education for its guidance and collaboration in identifying schools where support is most needed and ensuring that this initiative contributes to our shared goal of giving more Filipino learners access to quality education. We are equally grateful to our partners at Robinsons Land Corporation. Their expertise in planning, engineering, and construction is helping turn this commitment into classrooms that are safe, durable, and built to serve generations of students,” Gokongwei said.
He also expressed hope that the new spaces would allow students to learn with greater comfort and dignity, giving their curiosity and abilities room to grow.
The classroom project adds to GBF’s longstanding work with DepEd. In April 2026, the department named the foundation a “DepEd Hero” for its support of STEM education and teacher development. That work includes GBF STEM Collab, a learning community for educators, and GBF Class Builder, which provides DepEd-aligned lesson materials and coaching support to teachers in 6,000 schools across 44 school divisions. GBF has also supported more than 3,400 scholars since it was established in 1992.
For more information on the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, visit gokongweibrothersfoundation.org
