Bostik partnered with Brigada Eskwela 2025 as part of its continuing efforts to help Filipino schoolchildren. The French manufacturer of construction adhesives and sealants stepped in to help schools get ready for the new school year with a donation of its newest adhesive product, the all-purpose epoxy El Heneral.

Brigada Eskwela is an annual initiative of the Department of Education, which is now preparing schools nationwide for the opening of the new school year on June 16. (The educational system has returned to the school-opening schedule in place before the Covid-19 pandemic.) Brigada Eskwela involves parents, teachers, students, and enterprises like Bostik in getting everything ready—fixing, cleaning and painting classrooms, laboratories, facilities, furniture, signages, etc. 

Bostik’s partnership with Brigada Eskwela’s initiative on June 9–13 was spurred by their common belief in giving back to the community and helping Filipino children receive the education they deserve. 

It was the first time for the brand to participate in Brigada Eskwela, said Vanessa Torres, Bostik product manager (market development), at the regional kickoff held on June 9 at Jose Rizal Elementary School (JRES) in Pasay City.

“There’s engagement. It’s closer to the community and rises above commercialism,” Torres said, pointing out that JRES was among the recipients of the donation of El Heneral to help the school repair its chairs, desks, doors, buildings, etc., and, thus, make its classrooms conducive  to learning and reading.

Apart from JRES, Bostik also donated El Heneral to the following institutions: Taguig Integrated School (Sta. Ana, Taguig City), Don Alejandro Roces Sr. Science-Technology High School (Quezon City), Bagumbayan Elementary School (Navotas City), Rizal Experimental Station and Pilot School of College Industries (Pasig City), TV Fernandez Elementary and High School (Davao City), Talamban Elementary School (Cebu City), and Camp Evangelista Elementary School (Cagayan de Oro City).

Indeed, clean, well-fitted classrooms—no broken or wobbly desks and chairs—are of a piece with the development of students’ comprehension skills, which synchronizes with Brigada Eskwela’s new theme of “sama-sama para sa bayang bumabasa” (working together with a nation that reads). Likewise, in extending a helping hand, Bostik helps uphold the Filipino tradition of bayanihan, or communal cooperation/volunteerism, in which parents and stakeholders contribute their time and resources to make schools safe for their children to learn.

Teachers and parents find the product El Heneral an easy-to-use adhesive in fixing the classrooms. The name is inspired by the American general Douglas MacArthur, who served as top commander during World War II and the Korean War, and was known to be palaban, or in fighting mode—hence El Heneral’s tagline “palaban sa kahit anong dikitan (or “fighting in any sticky situation,” although the punchy phrase suffers in translation).

El Heneral’s consumers will see a much younger MacArthur with the signature dark glasses and khaki uniform appearing in the brand’s ads.

Resistant to water and chemicals, El Heneral has strong bonding properties on such materials as wood, metal, concrete, glass, ceramics, porcelain, PVC pipes, and most plastics. It’s an excellent putty in keeping screws in place and in joining materials together, as well as a filler and coating. A unique feature is its being crack-resistant even when impacted by hard objects.

The all-purpose epoxy comes in a pair—resin (part A) and hardener (part B)—and is easily mixed in equal parts (or 1:1 ratio) to activate the sealing property. Once a wood rose color is achieved after mixing the resin and hardener, the mixture should be made to rest for five minutes before application on whatever needs fixing with a putty knife or metal spatula. If the epoxy is used as an adhesive, it should be made to set on the object (chair, table, window etc.) for three hours before being sanded or polished. If it is used as filler, the cracks, gaps, and crevices must be filled throughout and the excess spread and leveled off. The full bonding strength will be realized after three days.

Bostik Philippines Inc. is a leader in elastomeric sealants and contact adhesives in the Philippines. The Bostik brand has been globally known for its sealants and adhesives for more than a century. Its leading products are Super Vulcaseal Elastomeric sealant, Rugby contact cement, and Ultrafino Skimcoat. 

El Heneral is available at Ace Hardware and Shopee. Prices for a set are ₱144 (160-gram cans), ₱236 (1/4 liter cans), and ₱391 (1/2 liter cans).

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