AN ONGOING LESSON IN PURPOSE AND PASSION

Exclusive portals to education transform to safe havens for weary medical frontliners

- EDU JARQUE

In 1911, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools opened the gates of their educational institution in the Philippines. And ever since then, those who would normally rush in were students of all levels—from playful preschool kids, energetic elementary children, idealistic high school youngsters, goal-oriented college young adults, and determined hopefuls for masters and doctorate degrees.

From these exclusive schools, raw talents were nurtured in the formation of upstanding Christian ladies and gentlemen of noble ideals and norms. This birthed campus leaders and achievers with admirable accomplishments, who in the years to come, became prominent doers and movers in society, leaders of businesses and industries, tycoons, and titans.

However, during this ongoing Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, three La Salle institutions within the metropolis, with outstretched arms, trademark hospitality and familiar warmth, genuinely welcomed modern day heroes—the De La Salle University with the Ospital ng Maynila, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde with the Philippine General Hospital, and La Salle Green Hills with The Medical City and Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Through Project Safe Shelter, these halls of learning usually associated with the more privileged, transformed to homes for temporary guests who are originally residents from Metro Manila and the nearby provinces of Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal, and Batangas.

The different hosts strictly followed safety and hygiene protocols set by the Department of Health, from social distancing and regular checking of temperature, to the usage of decontamination mist tents, hand sanitizers, and hospital-grade disinfectants.