7th Olango Challenge: Building classrooms one stroke at a time
Olango Island in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, is a world-renowned sanctuary of migratory birds. However, poverty in the island is high with many of its population dependent on declining fish catch. The dilapidated classrooms in Olango’s public schools are also indicators of poverty and remind us that the future is bleak for Olango’s school-age children.
To address the classroom backlog in Olango, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), in partnership with the Philippine Swimming Inc., organized the Olango Challenge in 2008. The Olango Challenge is the country’s first open water swimming marathon and has so far attracted almost 500 swimmers.
The Olango Challenge generates funds for classrooms through corporate sponsorships and pledges for individual swimmers.
The first two-classroom building funded by the campaign was turned over to Candagsao Elementary School. This was followed by another two-classroom building for Caw-oy Elementary School. More classrooms were also built for Tungasan and Talima Elementary Schools.
During the first Olango Challenge in 2008, more than 70 swimmers crossed the Gilutungan Channel from Barangay Sta. Rosa in Olango to the shores of Shangri-la’s Mactan Resort and Spa.
In 2013, 132 swimmers participated in the 6K and 2K competitive and fun swimming categories organized at Crimson Resort and Spa, which allowed PBSP to generate more than PHP 600,000 for the construction of another classroom in Olango Island.
This year, the 7th Olango Challenge was recently held last May 17, 2014 at Crimson Resort and Spa. It featured the 6K and 2K male and female competitive categories and the 6K and 2K mixed fun categories.
Education is one of the priority programs of PBSP and the Olango Challenge supports the Bayanihang Pampaaralan (BP) campaign, a private sector-led initiative under the 57-75 Consortium. BP aims to build 10,000 new classrooms to reduce the 66,800-classroom backlog in the country. The 57-75 Consortium, composed of PBSP, Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) and League of Corporate Foundations (LCF), seeks to reverse the education crisis through strengthened public involvements in school community action.
As the secretariat of BP, PBSP urges corporations to organize school building projects that follow standards set by the Department of Education (DEPED), by providing material and financial contributions. So far, BP has built 1,126 classrooms in 530 public elementary and secondary schools, benefiting an estimated 50,670 students.
Building more classrooms through the 2014 Olango Challenge
Each classroom follows DEPED’s 7×9-meter specification and includes toilets with running water. Before construction, PBSP secures the necessary school community counterpart. Thus, the school community donates lot, prepares the site, identifies community roads to facilitate hauling of materials, and establishes water and electrical connections necessary for construction.