Insider Spotlight
The donation expands Aboitiz Foundation’s push to narrow the digital divide through AuroraPH, its flagship program to energize and connect public schools in geographically isolated areas.
Since its 2024 launch, AuroraPH has already brought power and internet connectivity to 12 schools, reaching more than 2,500 students and teachers.
The initiative is scaling toward a bold target: energizing 300 schools, or 20 percent of unpowered campuses nationwide.
The big picture
For many children in remote areas, education stops at the limits of their school’s walls. Without electricity or digital access, they remain locked out of opportunities their urban peers take for granted. These laptops—and the power to run them—could mean the difference between a cycle of poverty and a chance at progress.
“By investing in digital access today, we are not only shaping future careers but also empowering young Filipinos to become problem solvers, innovators and eventually, nation builders,” said Aboitiz Foundation president Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar.
Why it matters
The turnover reflects a public-private partnership model that policymakers and advocates say is essential to building digital equity.
DICT chief Henry Rhoel Aguda described the effort as “digital bayanihan” that aligns with the government’s transformation agenda. “Nobody can argue about connecting people—because if you connect people, you connect them to opportunities,” he said.
GoDigital PH executive director Mishy Co highlighted its human impact: “Moments like these remind us that there is still hope—hope in the form of opportunities for the next generation.”
The bottom line
For children in the country’s last-mile schools, the digital age has often felt out of reach. Aboitiz Foundation’s AuroraPH and its partnerships are proving that with collective effort, tech access doesn’t have to stop at the city limits—it can reach every Filipino child. — Ed: Princess Daisy C. Ominga
