(L-R) Urdaneta City Mayor Amadeo Gregorio Perez IV, Urdaneta City University (UCU) President and Vice Chair Dr. Elizabeth Montero, Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. (TIHGI) Chief Legal Officer and Resorts World Foundation Executive Director Atty. Ma. Georgina Alvarez, and PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Arnell Ignacio during the inauguration of four-storey, 24-classroom building donated by Resorts World Foundation to UCU through PAGCOR. Apart from the school building, UCU also received 100 computer units and a generator.

URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan – Gone are the days when students in the densely populated Urdaneta City University (UCU) would hold classes under the trees and makeshift classrooms.

A few days before Christmas, the learning institution formally received the best present that their students have been wishing for: a four-storey, 24-classroom building from the Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. (TIHGI) and Resorts World Philippines Cultural Heritage Foundation, Inc. (Resorts World Foundation) through the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

Resorts World Foundation is incorporated by TIHGI in compliance with PAGCOR’s provisional license requirements. PAGCOR requires all its Entertainment City licensees to allot a certain portion of their gross gaming revenues to their foundation every month to fund projects related to educational infrastructure, cultural heritage, environment and health initiatives.

The new school building in UCU, which is one of the projects of Resorts World Foundation will benefit close to 10,000 students from various colleges like Arts and Languages, Engineering, Architecture and Education. Apart from the school building, UCU also received 100 computer units and a generator.

The total cost of donation from Resorts World Foundation reached close to P68 million. Said amount included the construction of school building and computerization projects in UCU.

Third year Education student Mariela Fernandez, one of the UCU students who will use the building was overjoyed that she and her classmates will soon be able to study in classrooms that are conducive for learning.

Fernandez related that because of lack of classrooms in the past, she and her classmates had to ask professors from other classes to allow classroom sharing. “Kapag wala na po talagang mapakiusapan, doon kami nagka-klase sa green home or minsan po hindi na talaga kami nakakapag-klase. Kaya masayang-masaya po kami na sa wakas hindi na ulit mangyayari ‘yon,” she expressed.

UCU President Elizabeth Montero, who formally received the donation, could not contain her joy during the turn-over ceremony. “Because of these organizations, quality education is now within our reach. Thank you so much, PAGCOR and Resorts World Foundation,” Montero tearfully said.

In his speech during the turn-over ceremony, PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for Community Relations and Services Arnell Ignacio stressed the state-owned gaming firm’s commitment in helping uplift the quality of education in the country through agency’s school building project.

Ignacio explained that PAGCOR, in partnership with its licensees like the TIHGI help make agency’s various nation-building programs possible. “Through the commitment of Resorts World Foundation, in allocating part of their funds to support PAGCOR’s projects and social responsibility programs, we were able to make all of this possible.”

The event was also graced by Atty. Ma. Georgina Alvarez, TIHGI’s Chief Legal Officer and Executive Director of the Resorts World Foundation.

Alvarez re-affirmed their support to PAGCOR’s nation-building projects. “We are grateful for these opportunities under the guidance of PAGCOR and we are happy to do these projects that may help bring true change in our country. Resorts World Foundation believes in investing and supporting the youth because they are the future professionals and leaders of the country. We also believe that it is important to partner with the government in providing modern, world-class facilities so that students may continue to nurture their dreams and hopefully, in the future, contribute to a better Philippines,” she said.

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