An Unexpected Gift for 25 Students!

The Tapulanga Foundation recently received a generous donation of $1000 from an anonymous donor. Their contribution will be used to provide 25 students with lunch for the entire school year. These kids can now concentrate in the classrooms without having to feel the pangs of hunger.

Blood Typing Program

Through the joint efforts of the Tapulanga Foundation, Inc. and the Med Tech Department of Riverside College, another blood typing event was organized last July 1, 2009 at St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City. Seventy-six new students and 3 teachers were administered. This has been a yearly project of the Foundation as part of its health care program to benefit the school. (To view more photos, click this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/tapulangafoundation/BloodTypingJuly12009?feat=directlink)

For Only Php450 or $10 a month, You Can Make Our Dreams Come True

We are Ashly and Arvy Santillan. We were born in August 17, 2004 so we are now 4 years and 8 months old. Our parents names are Charlito and May. Our father works as a security guard while our mother is a teacher (both earning more or less a net income of Php5,000 or $110 a month each). We are five children: the eldest is Micho and he will be a 4th year student this coming June; Reven will be in 2nd grade; and Kyrell will be in Prep. All of them study in St. Francis of Assisi School and are scholars of the Tapulanga Foundation. We would like to go to school in St. Francis of Assisi School like our brothers. Our parents cannot afford to send us there. Please help us!


The Santillan twins are applying for Kindergarten in June of this year in St. Francis of Assisi School. It will ONLY cost Php5,500.00 or $125.00 each for the twin's schooling for a year!

Ashly's dream is to become an accountant. Arvy's dream is to become a dancer and singer. Be an instrument in making the dreams of these girls a reality!

If you are interested to sponsor these kids, please email us at info@tapulanga.org. Thank you very much and God bless you!

Help Comes All the Way from Spain!

I'm so happy I was able to gather money for the Tapulanga Foundation ...YES ... 350 EUR !!!

Let me tell you the story... since it is Christmas, I was thinking of asking donations from my office mates to send to Tapulanga but Santi gave me the idea of selling some goodies instead and have the proceeds from the sale go entirely to Tapulanga. His mom Raquel makes really good chocolate truffles so she started making like 250+pieces and my mom packed them in small bags with ribbons and all that ... really cute! On the first day, everything was sold out! We had to make some more and they were sold out again the next day! Of course, everyone bought because it was for a really good cause! - from Karmele Sagastasoloa (a schoolmate of mine who went back to her birth country, Spain, after college)

Happy New Year!

As we look back on 2008, we saw a year full of promise and change, yet the year ended with a sour note as the world crumbled in the financial mess we sowed. We look at 2009 with renewed hope that our world will weather this storm and the promise of hope and change will overcome the challenges we have ahead of us.

At Tapulanga we're constantly reminded of the world of "haves" and "have nots" because we work in this gap everyday of the year. We are witnesses to the power of innovation and technology as it helps us spread our message and grow our mission. Yet for all the innovation and creativity of technology it has not succeeded in securing the essentials of life for all human beings. Thus our mission continues as we watch, hear and read every day about the breathtaking manifestations of affluence alongside poverty, malnutrition and deaths from preventable or curable diseases. Shouldn't we ask ourselves whether something is wrong with our choice of goals or our motivation, or both? We hope our message inspires compassion to be our ultimate goal and motivation for all of our economic activity. Compassion to not only focus on our own wants and needs but to be inspired to do our share of helping to give those who are born with less a chance for a better life.

May peace and the blessings of hope be with you in 2009.

First Negros Fundraiser a success

Thank you to all our volunteers, board members and staff who worked hard to make the first Negros fundraiser a success. We had over 200 guests who came and enjoyed the delicious food buffet dinner at 21 Restaurant. And the silent auction, a first for most Negrenses was a success raising P18,000 to benefit a graduating student at St. Francis of Assisi School with a college scholarship next year.

Thank you to all the sponsors who made our event possible.

Premiere Sponsors: Migahay Co., RA Financial Services, Inc., Tinihaban Agricultural Corporation, Lonoy Agricultural Corporation, Asociacion de Hacenderos de Silay-Saravia, Inc., AHSSI Planters Multi-Purpose Coop., SMART Communications, Inc. and SWIP Travel Inc.

Table Sponsors: Misyel’s Catering, Hilo & Stitch, Twin Shell Service Station, AVIDA Land Corporation, Datalink Technologies, Inc., and Prudential Guarantee and Assurance Inc.

Silent Auction donors: The Sylvia Manor Hotel, Lopue’s East Center, Negros Saturn Marketing, Association of Negros Producers, Royal Wellness Spa, Negros Navigation, Trattoria Uma, Mrs. Joy Magalona-Barreiro, Mrs. Margie Ledesma-Abello, Julie’s Flower Shoppe, Roli’s Diner, Play Studio, Style Bacolod Inc., Bascon Café, Chicken House, PAPEL Handicrafts, Tumandok Crafts and Industries, Dir. Jay Abello, and Mr. Edgardo “Jack” Ledesma. Other donors: Silay-Saravia Railways Cooperative, Bacolod Fertichem Inc., and Trims and Treasures.

SFAS Coop Net Center - A First in Negros!

The St. Francis of Assisi School of Silay City recently received ten (10) more personal desktop computers from the Tapulanga Foundation. Last October 16, 2008, the computers were installed and activated, increasing the school’s total number of computers to twenty (20).

Resulting from various fund-raising projects by the school’s administrator's Ma. Carmela "Micmic" Abello-Golez’s friends and family in the USA and a partnership with Intel Technology Philippines and Asianic Computers, the school received 10 brand new Intel-equipped desktop computers. Under its Coop Net Center program, Intel Technology Philippines assisted the Tapulanga Foundation in providing the school with affordable computers in addition to refurbishing and dressing-up the school’s computer room.

Intel supports the Tapulanga Foundation’s vision of sharing God’s gifts through educational projects that provide students with more opportunities. With this project, Intel hopes to provide the students and the community with access to a wide range global learnings and technology transfers via the Internet. Equipped with Intel Core Duo processors, the new computers also give the students increased productivity in performing various computer tasks and enhance their computer skills.