Office of the Vice President

11 July 2017

Vice President Leni Robredo addressed attendees of the Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) launch of the Fuel Your School project in Naga City today.

In her speech, VP Leni highlighted the importance of ensuring that all the needs of students and teachers are met, particularly with regard to classrooms and school equipment, if education is to become a true vehicle for progress.

“I am happy to know that the project which Chevron has initiated, aims to provide public high schools in the Bicol province the access to modern teaching implements and educational materials. This is a crucial step, if we want to revolutionize and improve our education system,” declared VP Leni in her keynote address.

Fuel Your School is a social investment project of CPI, a private sector partner of the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) Angat Buhay program. The project focuses on supporting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in public schools around the country.

Currently in its third year, Fuel Your School project pledges to donate one peso to selected schools for every liter of fuel acquired from participating Caltex stations. Proceeds will go directly to the purchase of equipment that will boost STEM subjects for public school students.

Through this project, modern teaching materials such as LED TVs, tablets, laptops, and interactive multi-media projectors have been provided, to empower both the educators and the students.

VP Leni supports this initiative, as it brings the power of innovation closer to those in the margins.

“Technology is one of the keys to making the world a much better place. Democratized access to powerful technology will create a [virtuous] circle of innovation that changes the trajectory of our national and global narrative. And the best way to begin democratizing access to powerful technology is through public schools where even the last, the least, and the lost can experience it.”

“With every new computer, every new LCD projector, every new multimedia device, and every laboratory equipment – you build communities that encourage students to develop their skills and excel in their chosen fields,” she added.

VP Leni likewise underscored to the attendees, which included representatives from CPI, the Department of Education, and the American Chamber Foundation Philippines, the importance of collaboration among those willing to provide assistance.

“Each one of you holds a key in unlocking a child’s future. Each one of you can create a difference in their lives. We need to ramp up our efforts to collaborate better. We must break barriers, and do this in a better way than in the past. The good thing is that nothing is impossible if we work together with open hands and generous hearts,” she stated.

Education is one of the core concerns of the Angat Buhay program. Together with women empowerment, rural development, universal healthcare, nutrition and food security, and housing and resettlement, Angat Buhay aims to fight poverty by addressing these key advocacies directly, with the help of its public and private sector partners.