Reymund Titong

Local organizations in Negros Occidental are joining forces to rebuild Don Benito Lopez Elementary School (DBLES) in Hacienda Antolanga, Barangay Tinongan, Isabela town, after Typhoon Tino destroyed nearly 90 percent of the school’s infrastructure and engulfed an entire seven-classroom building.

GIEX Builders, Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. (HBONI), 99.7 Brigada News FM Kabankalan, and LN Agustin Farms formed a united effort to respond to the needs of the more than 100 pupils now studying in unsafe and exposed areas.

Civil engineer Giel Rex Besas, owner of GIEX Builders, leads the initiative. He inspected the school after the typhoon and saw how floodwaters consumed the seven-classroom building of the school.

The scene prompted him to mobilize partner groups and begin planning the construction of a makeshift classroom. He emphasized that rebuilding even one classroom will give the children a safe space to learn again, but the project cannot move forward until the required materials arrive.

Besas already prepared the design, needed manpower, and workflow for the makeshift classroom, which will serve as the first of several temporary learning spaces.

The partner organizations committed to constructing a makeshift classroom as the first step in restoring the school. However, they cannot continue the build without key materials—including nails, steel bars, lumber, roofing sheets, plywood, and other basic construction supplies.

The coalition now calls on more partners—construction suppliers, civic groups, corporations, alumni associations, private individuals, and local businesses—to help provide the urgent materials needed to begin the plan.


Supporters may send monetary donations through QR codes provided in the campaign’s publicity materials.
Donors may drop off construction materials at GIEX Builders on Coloso Street in Barangay 6; Block 18, Lot 1, Villa Concha Subdivision in Barangay Hilamonan; and the Brigada News FM office—all located in Kabankalan City.

Organizers urge more groups to join the initiative and help restart the stalled construction. For partnerships, coordination, or material deliveries, interested donors may contact Besas through his Facebook account.

Every new partner brings the pupils of Don Benito Lopez Elementary one step closer to recovering what they lost when the flood swallowed their seven-classroom building.

As more hands join the effort, the coalition aims to turn this first makeshift classroom into the beginning of a larger movement to rebuild the school—and restore hope for its learners.*