Father Boc knew that he had some heavy lifting to do when he accepted his new assignment. Until recently, he worked for Don Bosco's Agro-Engineering School in Legazpi where he secured a German grant to equip the entire school with solar power. It cut his energy bills to zero.Father Boc and Facility Manager Ditas Lumanlan in Front of the Building with the new solar panels.

The two schools he joined in Pampanga had serious financial issues. One school was heavily loss making, both had unsustainable debt levels. By refocussing the school projects and cutting energy cost, both will be profitable in 2025. For the debt, a 3-year moratorium was negotiated with the local rural bank. Parents agreed a fee incease by 10%. Luckily, Pampanga is more affluent than Tondo in Manila. The new industrial park on the previous US Clarke airfield creates many well paid jobs and lifts income for the entire province. With 4 hectars, Don Bosco's campus in Mabalacat is spacious. 800 students go to school here. The Academy offers all elementary school grades and High School diplomas. There is also a vocationl training center for car mechanics with currently 75 students. Father Boc plans to increase the number to 200 and add electronics to the school's curriculum.Students studying electronic circuits at the vocational school.

Whilst cutting deficits, stabilising debt and increasing the student numbers, Father Boc and his team also have to replace the old and costly infrastructure. The 60-years-old electric board is only "on" or "off" and does not allow partial switch-offs to save enerby. The schools annual energy bill amounts to PhP 3 mio or USD 52'000. The school's switch board is rather a museum's piece than an energy manager.

Despite these challenges, Father Boc and Facility Manager Ditas Lumanlan are confident that the school is now on the right track and that they soon will be able to offer more places and more relevant courses for their students.

The situation at the second Don Bosco Academy in Bocolor is different. Seven years ago it was rebuilt on the ashes of the Pinotubo eruption in 1998. The old school building was covered up to the second floor by the volcano's debris.New Basket Ball Court - built on the old one - the green beams are the former roof before the volcano eruption

The school in Bocolor is with 2.5 ha smaller than its sister school but accommodates more students. There are 1'100. The only 7 years old buildings have their own problems like inproper draining. The canteen, football field and the olympic size pool were never built. Debt levels amounting to 30 x annual income are crushing every potential investment. Luckily, the school is profitable.Master plan for the School in Bocolor with the future Canteen to the right of the covered basket ball court and the future football field on top. There shall also be additional parking. One of the school's major problem is security. The school was burgled and lost a significant amount of cash. Now cash is kept at the bank and lap tops are locked up. At one point the school would like to enhance its fence.Old fence to the left - new fence to the right

Despite these challenges, Faher Boc is optimistic for the school. He is currently negotiating with the German Embassy a PhP 15 mio grant (USD 160'000) to supply the entire school with solar energy. The chances of success are high. No doubt, future students will love to go to a school that is entirely self-sufficient in energy.Due to the heat, school closed today at 12 am. It is the Philippine's hottest summer ever