SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH) and Olongapo City LGU recently inaugurated the new Gordon College building at Brgy. East Tapinac, Olongapo City with SM Supermalls President Annie Garcia and Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino leading the rites. The newly built and relocated six-storey Gordon College building, donated by SMPH, boasts of modern amenities such as 57 air-conditioned classrooms, class laboratories, library, wi-fi access, CCTV monitors, elevators, and PWD-friendly ramps and toilets.
Also gracing the turnover ceremony, held at the ground floor of the new Gordon College, are Olongapo City Vice Mayor Aquilino Cortez, SBMA Director Cynthia Paulino, SM Prime Vice President for Operations Bien Mateo and Gordon College President Dr. Imelda Soriano.
The support of SM Prime to the project is aligned with Olongapo’s mission to upgrade and improve the educational system in the city.
“Of all the advocacies of Mr. Henry Sy Sr., providing quality education is the closest to his heart. For many years, SM Foundation and SM Supermalls have been strengthening its programs for education because Mr. Sy Sr. strongly believes that good education is the key to our progress, to inclusive growth and to nation building,” Garcia remarked.
With the new Gordon College building in place and the educational institution relocated from the old hospital building compound, the beneficiaries of the generous donation from SM are equally enthusiastic about this development and echoed the positive feedback that the locals of Olongapo collectively share.
“This new building gives us the best place and a conducive environment for learning that the students of Olongapo City will be benefitting from. Before, we’re only having 2,000 students but now we can accommodate 5,000 more. I am looking forward to students performing better and achieving more,” Gordon College President Soriano said.
The P300 million new Gordon College building, built in six months, has important features that Tony-Kar Balde III of Olongapo City CPDO (City Planning and Development Office) shared.
“The building is designed to withstand intensity 9 earthquake and has modern amenities like CCTV, Wi-Fi, elevators, spacious canteen area that could accommodate 400 to 500 students and spacious classrooms. The building is currently six-storey high but we planned for two more floors in the future so it could be an eight-storey building. Part of the master plan is the building’s capacity to collect rainwater and use it for sprinklers and toilets,” Balde explained.
Earlier in April, SM also turned over an 18-classroom school building for Olongapo through the Department of Education in a simple ceremony, which was also attended by Mayor Rolen Paulino.