Over 40K Public High School Students in 6 Provinces to Benefit From PHP3M Worth of STEM Tools Donated by Caltex

Caltex, a supplier of record-breaking fuels, recently set another record. This time, it supplied modern 21st century teaching tools to 30 highest-need public high schools in Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

This was announced in Santiago City, Isabela during the awarding ceremonies of Caltex Fuel Your School (FYS). PHP3 million worth of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) equipment were turned over to public high schools in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Kalinga, and Ifugao.

During the Caltex FYS campaign, all fuel ups in 23 Caltex stations managed by branded marketer Northern Star Energy Corporation in Cagayan Valley and portions of CAR were matched by Caltex and Northern Star with a PHP1-for-every-liter donation to raise the PHP3 million target from June 1 until August 15.

The fund was divided among the 30 public high schools selected based on criteria set by the Department of Education. More than 40,000 public high school students and almost 2,000 of their teachers in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Kalinga, and Ifugao stand to benefit from Caltex Fuel Your School 2019.

FYS uniquely brings together the academe, private sector, and the community to rally around the cause of raising STEM education standards in local public high schools. Far from being passive beneficiaries, the schools actively campaigned online and around their communities to make people aware about the program.

Social media results show that FYS earned about 2.8 million organic post likes, it reached 3.8 million people, generated more than 2,018 FB fans and over 12,000 hashtags. The students also created unique content like videos, memes and music videos that highlighted their creativity.

Community promotions included flyering, motorcades, flash mobs, jingles, cheers and word- of-mouth communication. In total, the students were able to directly generate over 300,000 liters of fuel sales.

Northern Star COO Juan Miguel Delgado said, "We're glad to be able to support FYS for the past two years, last year in the Ilocos Region and now, in Cagayan Valley. Northern Star recognizes the value of education. We've always had projects that help provide access to better learning to disadvantaged communities. I am especially proud of our FYS students and teachers who refused to be merely beneficiaries by actively promoting the program. The connections they formed with our Retailer-Partners are also worth preserving and building future projects on."

In 2018, Northern Star leveraged its network of 26 Caltex station in the Ilocos Region to generate PHP3 million for the public high schools in the area. For Cagayan Valley, Northern Star utilized its 23 Caltex stations to raise the same amount. Just like last year, Northern Star donated a total of PHP2 million directly to Fuel Your School.

Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) and Northern Star also handed special awards in three categories. Nueva Vizcaya General Comprehensive High School got the most project likes with more than a million FB likes; Solano High School got the most hashtags awards with 3,815 #s; and Alicia National High School got the most fuel ups with 10,546 liters.

CPI Country Chairman Louie Zhang said, "There is nothing more empowering to our children than education. It equips them for the journey of life. This is what Caltex is all about. Our promise is for our customers to have an enjoyable journey. Hopefully, these young people will discover the wonders of STEM and take it as their careers which they will enjoy for the rest of their lives."

Zhang added, "Our company's values drive us to provide our products responsibly while working with our partners to strengthen communities. We understand that our success is tied to the success of the communities where we operate. This is why anywhere you see a Caltex station; we are there striving to build lasting relationships to create prosperity, now and for decades to come."

Caltex FYS started in 2015. Over the years, the campaign has been able to help 148 public high schools, 6,086 public high school teachers, and over 1.7 million public high school students in Metro Manila, Davao, Bicol, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley Region. Caltex FYS has donated a total of PHP17 million to these schools.