As face-to-face classes resume, schools all around the Philippines struggle with a shortage of resources due to the influx of enrollees. In Barangay Punta Baja, Rizal, Palawan, students faced the problem of not having enough chairs, as a lot of them had no choice but to sit on the floor during classes. Sitti Halima Adges, a school teacher at the Jose P. Rizal National High School, dreamt of providing her students with a complete set of school arm chairs to create spaces conducive for learning.

One day, Sitti chanced upon a post on Shopee’s Barangay Shopee initiative– where a barangay could win a community project of their choice. She and her fellow teachers took their chances and joined and thanks to their heartwarming video entry, Sitti’s dream became a reality. Out of 200 entries nationwide, Barangay Punta Baja was chosen as one of Barangay Shopee’s two winners.

On November 11, Shopee went to Rizal, Palawan to visit Sitti and her barangay, and donated more than 1,000 school chairs to the Jose P. Rizal National High School.

“Kami ay lubos na nagpapasalamat sa tulong at suporta ni Shopee sa Barangay Punta-Baja at Jose P. Rizal National High School. Bilang isang ina at guro, napakasaya ko na may mga mabubuting loob tulad ng Shopee na tumutulong sa pag-aaral ng aming mga estudyante sa barangay namin,” shared Sitti.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, shared “At Shopee, we are committed to serving the underserved and making a difference in communities all over the Philippines. When we launched Barangay Shopee, our goal was to address the direct needs of communities. Sitti’s video entry was one of the many we received, and it reminded us of our commitment to nurture young talent, and the importance of creating environments conducive for learning and growth. We are humbled that we were able to bring smiles to Barangay Punta Baja, and we hope to do the same for many more communities.”

Through Barangay Shopee and all initiatives under Shopee Bayanihan, Shopee furthers its objective to bettering the lives of the underserved by helping communities benefit from the power of technology wherever they are in the Philippines. Learn more about Barangay Shopee here.