Recognizing the shortage of school buildings all over the Philippines, the SGS Hardware and the Simplicio Gamboa Sr. (SGS) Foundation Inc. donated a 2-classroom school building to the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School in Bacolod City; while KJ Fairmart Inc. and Best Tank Mfg. Corp. also donated a 2-classroom school building to the Jose R. Torres Sr. Elementary School in Brgy. Singcang-Airport, Bacolod.
Both school buildings were built thru the efforts of the Southern Negros Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. and the Northern Negros Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. under the “Operation Barrio School” project of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII).
They were turned over to the schools during the recent visit to Bacolod, of the FFCCCII delegation led by President Victor Lim and immediate past President Cecilio Pedro.
To date, over 6838 school buildings or over 12 thousand classrooms have been donated through the FFCCCII all over the Philippines under their Operation Barrio School Project. FFCCCII has also pledged to donate 5 units of 2 classroom buildings to areas worse hit by the Kanlaon eruptions.
The FFCCCII also responded to the calls of the mayors of the cities and municipalities that were affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruptions for donation of GI sheets for displaced residents.
Coordinating with the Southern Negros Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. and the Northern Negros Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., FFCCCII was able to deliver a total of 14,000 GI sheets to the affected residents of Canlaon City, Moises Padilla, Bago City, La Castellana, and La Carlota City. Sacks of rice were also distributed to the victims in the above-mentioned cities and municipalities when the Kanlaon Volcano first erupted last December 2024.
Aside from the donations of the Chinese community through the FFCCCII, many of the member chambers of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers also have local volunteer fire brigades. FFCCCII also conducts weekly medical missions in Metro Manila and distributes relief goods in typhoon-stricken areas when needed.
All the assistance extended by the FFCCCII and its member chambers to the Filipino community are a manifestation of their motto “Dugong Tsino, Pusong Pinoy.” As the Tsinoys or Tsinong Pinoys would say, “Our hearts are with the Filipino people.”*
