(Front row, left to right) DMCI FVP for International Business Development Ronaldo R. Elepaño, Jr., MMPC Senior Vice President for Corporate Planning Yosuke Nishi, GMAKF EVP and COO Rikki Escudero-Catibog, and Republic Cement President Renato Sunico; (Second row) Buhi Municipal Councilor Myrna Imperial (center) and AFP Southern Luzon Commander Major General Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. together with other AFP and LGU representatives.
In July of this year, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation and GMA Kapuso Foundation forged a partnership that would help uplift the lives of many Filipinos throughout the country. Dubbed Kapuso Tulay Para sa Kaunlaren, the said project involves the construction of various infrastructure projects to help make our countrymen’s lives a lot easier.
One of the first fruits of this partnership is the Iraya steel hanging bridge that was recently inaugurated in Barangay Iraya, Buhi, Camarines Sur. The said bridge, which was destroyed in a past calamity, was the only access residents had to the nearby town.
MMPC saw this as an opportunity to help, donating P1 million to rebuild the fallen bridge. Last October, residents finally got a new lease on their daily lives as the 30m bridge would help them easily and safely cross to the other side. Its steel and concrete structure is enhanced by solar-powered lamps that aid visibility at night.
The first bridge under the Kapuso Tulay Para sa Kaunlaran project, the Iraya steel hanging bridge was turned over at a ceremony held at the Iraya Elementary School located nearby. The affair was graced by the Executive Vice President and COO of GMAKF, Rikki Escudero-Catibog Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) Senior Vice President for Corporate Planning Yosuke Nishi, D. M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) First Vice President for International Business Development Ronaldo R. Elepaño, Jr., Republic Cement President Renato Sunico, as well as the Commanding General of the AFP’s Southern Luzon Command, Major General Benjamin Madrigal, the assistant division commander of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, Brig. General Chad Isleta, DPWH and DepEd Regional heads.
With the new bridge, residents, especially school children, have more reason to hope for a better life. It can truly connect them to a brighter and more promising tomorrow.
