THE IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (Ibpap) on Monday said it donated a total of 378 computers to four public schools in Valenzuela City to help provide digital access to deprived students.
The donation was part of Ibpap’s Byte the Gap, a program developed with the Department of Education to improve technological access in public schools.
“Through Byte the Gap, our computer donation project aims to ensure that no learner is left behind in this digital age, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence,” Ibpap head of membership Genny Marcial said.
The initiative was the product of more than a decade of collaboration and advocacy.
“Quite a long road, but this is what real partnerships look like. Government and industry working hand in hand to strengthen basic education and build a digitally empowered Philippines,” Marcial said.
The computers consisted of the following donor companies: Ascendion, 200 laptops; EY Global Delivery Services, 100 laptops; and Shearwater, 78 desktops.
The beneficiaries were Pio Valenzuela Elementary School, Santiago A. De Guzman Elementary School, Lawang Bato Elementary School, and Malinta Elementary School.
A turnover ceremony was held recently at Malinta Elementary School.
Representing Ibpap were Marcial and program manager Zel Galapon. Also present were Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Valenzuela local government representatives of Mayor Wes Gatchalian.
Angara said that while DepEd’s budget for computerization has doubled this year, Ibpap has been helping “at a time when we had no support in Congress. Ibpap was one of the first to come to our rescue.”
In 2025, Ibpap facilitated the turnover of nearly 2,000 laptops and desktop units through Byte the Gap program.
This year, the IT-BPM sector is targeting $42 billion in export revenues and nearly 1.97 million jobs.
