August 23, 2017, San Rafael, Iloilo. The local government unit (LGU) of San Rafael under the leadership of Mayor Roberto T. Belleza, Jr. strengthens its partnership with St. Paul University Iloilo through the WASH in Schools (WinS) Program. The WinS program is an initiative of the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement effective hygiene and sanitation projects and improve access to safe water, adequate toilets, and hand washing facilities in public and private schools nationwide.
The distribution of 2,800 WinS kits to elementary public school students, was made possible with the generous funding from donors, the Philippine Nurses Association-Maryland Chapter (USA) under the leadership of SPUI alumna, Ms. Virginia Alinsao (a.k.a Manay Virgie). A water incubator was also formally turned over to the LGU of San Rafael. The officials of DepEd and the town of San Rafael thanked SPUI for its “passion and unselfish devotion to the achievement of quality education” in Iloilo.
Left: SPUI students, administrators, faculty, and staff help distribute the WinS kits to ten public schools in San Rafael. This project is coordinated by CON faculty members, Lalaine “Bubu” Nolasco-Cristales and Carlo Cabardo. Right: students demonstrate the proper way of washing hands to school children.
The students from the College of Nursing (CON) taught the school children how to wash their hands properly to help prevent the spread of communicable diseases in their community. Other student representatives from the College of Physical Therapy (CPT), College of Business, Accountancy and Information Technology (CBIT), College of Arts, Sciences, and Education (CASE), and College of HRM, Tourism, and Nutrition (CHTN) also helped distribute the WinS kits in San Rafael.
School hopping in San Rafael, building partnership with the community. 
The partnership began under the leadership of then mayor, Raul Belleza when SPUI and its alumni from the United States under the initiative of Manay Virgie, raised funds for the families who were displaced by typhoon Yolanda. San Rafael, a town in northern Iloilo, was one of the hardest hit in the province. To ensure that the contribution would help those affected by the typhoon, SPUI entered into a memorandum of agreement with the LGU of San Rafael to establish a Caritas Christi program that will facilitate the distribution of goods to the residents of San Rafael. The first agreement was entered into by then SPUI President, Sr. Carol Agravante, SPC and former mayor Raul Belleza.
The visit also hopes to identify a barangay that will be adopted by SPUI under its CES/SLEP initiative. 
The current partnership builds upon this Caritas Christi program. The University is also looking into adopting a barangay in San Rafael under the aegis of Community Extension Services and Social Laboratory Extension Program (CES/SLEP), headed by Mrs. Yolanda Santacera. Mayor Roberto Belleza, Jr. on the other hand, shares his vision and development plans with the SPUI group who visited his town. He plans of introducing sustainable slope farming, reforestation, and improving irrigation system as well as building a public market that could help farmers sell their produce.