THE San Roque Elementary School in Tanauan, Leyte received a two-storey, four-classroom school building from partners SM Prime Holdings, Inc., PSE, Inc., PSE Foundation and SM Foundation. 

The donation came complete with 200 armchairs, four sets of teacher’s tables and chairs, four blackboards, 16 wall fans and assorted textbooks. Each classroom is equipped with toilets. 

PSE executives led by its President, Hans Sicat, Directors Vivian Yuchengco and Edgardo Lacson and Daisy Arce also distributed hygiene kits to the pupils.

The 15 school buildings of the San Roque Elementary were totally damaged by typhoon Yolanda. A report from the DepEd stated that prior to the typhoon, there were 15 instructional classrooms, but the typhoon left them with no classrooms. Part of the school was declared a No-Dwell zone so the school had to make do with the remaining 565 sq. meters. The 713 pupils had to hold classes in tents provided by DepEd and temporary learning spaces (TLS) donated by the Red Cross and UNICEF. Initial donations from the Mapua Alumnae Foundation and Volunteers from Visayas, an NGO, netted five classrooms which were still inadequate. 

The PSE-SMPHI-SMFI four-classroom school building turned over to school authorities last February 27 has greatly eased the congestion. School principal Evelyn Encina hopes the school can go on a single-shift with this donation. 

The school building in San Roque Elementary School is the 67th out of 196 classrooms in 65 public elementary schools and high schools nationwide so far built by SM Foundation to support the Adopt-a-School Program of the government. In the Yolanda-devastated areas, SM Foundation has turned over newly constructed classrooms in Cebu, Capiz, Aklan, Leyte, Samar and Iloilo.