CSR: Shell Philippines helps Batangas schools prepare for remote learning

Shell Companies in the Philippines (SciP) has donated health kits and office equipment to 15 schools in Batangas to help them prepare for the new remote-based mode of education in alignment with the requirements of physical distancing in response to the threat of Covid-19.The donations were coursed through the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Brigada Eskwela program, an annual nationwide initiative originally intended to maintain and refurbish school facilities, but now repurposed to strengthen the schools’ capacity to provide students with self-learning modules.Among the recipients are the elementary schools of Tabangao, Ambulong, Libjo, San Isidro, Malitam, Wawa, Sta. Clara, Bolbok, Sta. Rita, Calicanto, and Julian Pastor Memorial. The national high schools of Libjo, Malitam, and Sta. Rita also benefited from the donations along with the Tabangao Integrated School.“Pandemic or no pandemic, the students in these schools represent the future of our nation,” says Pilipinas Shell president and CEO Cesar Romero. “At Shell, we believe in the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, and it’s only right that we do our part as members of the community to help in every way we can.”Romero says it is not enough to simply overcome today’s extraordinary circumstances, but it is also equally important to safeguard a prosperous future for the country by ensuring the continued educational development of the youth. For 106 years, Shell has remained committed to this future by being the Philippines’ partner in nation-building, working to help the country address the present challenges for a brighter tomorrow.Each school received an Internet modem to enable educators to provide learning assistance to students learning from home. Also sent were two printers and 15 boxes of bond paper to enable teachers to print out the learning modules, saving students from shouldering the financial burden.Shell also donated 16,118 face masks for students. Meanwhile, 611 health kits inclusive of face masks, face shields, PPE suits, and Messy Bessy dishwashing products were given to teachers to ensure that all health, safety and sanitary protocols are observed as protection against COVID-19.The face masks and the PPEs were produced by members of the SIBBAP Multipurpose Cooperative, beneficiaries of a PSFI livelihood development that retrained seamstresses from Ambulong, Batangas to help bolster PPE supplies during the pandemic.Dr. Victoria Fababier, DepEd’s chief education supervisor for the school governance and operations department, expressed their gratitude to Shell, the company’s social development arm Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), and the Malampaya Foundation, Inc. (MFI).“You can be sure that we will value these gifts,” she said. “Not only will these items reach the intended recipients and benefit our students, but your act also inspires us to better serve them as educators.”Despite the ongoing transformation of Shell’s Tabangao Refinery into an import facility, similar to Shell’s existing Northern Mindanao Import Facility that services the southern parts of the country, the company remains committed to supporting the local community.“We are very thankful that, despite any adjustments that the company must be undergoing during the transition period, Shell continues to help us,” said Fababier.