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SN Express Bin-I Foundation produces more graduates



By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter

San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte—The San Nicolas Bin-I Foundation once again produced 11 more college graduates for the recently concluded school year.

The said foundation gives scholarship grants to poor but deserving students from this town for their tertiary education.

Of the almost  200 Bin-I scholars currently, two of them graduated as cum laude the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU); they are Jan Jan Decano and Susan Monica Guillermo, Education and Chemical Engineering graduates, respectively.

San Nicolas Vice Mayor and Bin-I founder Alfredo “Boying” P. Valdez Jr. said since the foundation started in 2004, the 32 graduates of Bin-I are now working in their respective fields of specialization.

Bin-I sources its funds from donations both locally and from abroad; gifts and proceeds from concerts they organize; t-shirt and Bin-I lamp sale; and a counterpart funding from the local government of P200,000 annually.

Mr. Valdez stressed that his dream for the people of San Nicolas to become better through education motivates him to work hard on this project.

He stressed that their scholars’ successes protect not only donations of kindhearted San Nicoleños but all the funds of the foundation in general.

He added that he also makes sure that the funds will serve their purpose and to involve respectable people in and out of the government regardless of political affiliation to ensure its smooth operations and to leave a legacy to the municipality.   

The San Nicolas Express Bin-I Foundation-Ilocos Norte, Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit non-governmental, charitable and socio-civic-spirited foundation. 

Generally, the program aims to support the upgrading and delivery of survival, security and development services to the San Nicoleños.

Specifically, the program aims to attain the following: (1) Undertake projects with far reaching significance to the promotion of family values, educational enrichment and health development of all San Nicoleños; (2) Assist in the development of cooperativism and entrepreneurship in the Municipality of San Nicolas, and launching of other livelihood projects geared for the creation of employment and raising the income of San Nicoleños; (3) Participate in the promotion of good governance, people empowerment and corporate responsibility; and (4) Strengthen the linkages, cooperation and mutual assistance of all San Nicoleños here and abroad.

In his nine-year tenure as San Nicolas mayor, it was the spirit of giving by benevolent San Nicoleños particularly from abroad which has been tremendous. Heavy equipment, patrol cars, fire trucks, even the construction and improvement of the various projects and a lot more had been donated in coordination with the different organizations abroad such as the Annak ti San Nicolas of Hawaii–Honolulu, Maui, and Kauai Chapters, Annak ti San Nicolas of Hong Kong Chapter, San Nicolas Teachers Association of  Hawaii, San Nicolaneous USA, San Nicoleños of California, Sadiri ti San Nicolas International-Hawaii Chapter, San Nicolas Goodwill Foundation, Catuguing Association of Hawaii and others.

It is heartening to note that there are also people who would like to share something for the education of the financially-challenged but deserving students. It is through sincere concern fired up by the students’ dreams that the foundation has been established and now serves as the appropriate channel to allay the fear of willing donors and at the same time increasing school participation rate.

Relative to this, the “Adopt a Scholar” is now also implemented by the Bin-I Foundation.  A willing donor will shoulder all the educational expenses of a certain student starting from elementary until such student finishes his course.

The municipal government and the Foundation empowered children of low-income families to achieve higher education and fulfill their leadership potential by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education and succeed in college and beyond.

Now that an Educational Assistance Office is established, funding support for the Bin-I Foundation has increased and more are now interested in sharing their hard-earned monies for the benefit of these young scholars.  The foundation’s operation is coursed through fund raising activities such as the selling of CDs, the conduct of benefit concerts, dinner-for-a cause events, mountain biking for cause and run for a cause (Taray-Adal).

The scholarship program of the municipal government, through the Bin-I Foundation, gained popularity. Donations from kind-hearted and compassionate San Nicoleños locally and internationally and from private individuals in the province who have learned about this program and believed in its objectives also have become a source of fund to support the Scholarship Program.  Municipal Officials and employees also are coming up with voluntary contributions which are regularly deducted from their salaries.

The foundation has Board of Trustees composed of credible citizens of the municipality take time in screening qualified applicants who have to hurdle written examinations and undergo a personal interview.

Scholars should maintain a certain average of their grades required by the board.   Stipends are not given in full.  Funds are only released as the need arises to instill in the scholars the value of frugality and hard work.

The partnership of the local government unit and the Bin-I Foundation has earned recognition as second runner-up in 2008 in the regional search for LGU-NGO Project-Based Practices. 

Incumbent San Nicolas Mayor Melanie Grace P. Valdez also congratulated to the 11 graduates who are products of the Bin-I Foundation.


The mayor believes that education is the foundation of a developed community, the rock-bottom equalizer that fills the gaping distance between the rich and poor. The people should learn modern methodologies and technologies to keep abreast with the fast and rapid changing of the times and this could only be achieved with an educated citizenry.

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