Bringing Learning Support to Saling-it Elementary School

Sometimes the smallest acts of generosity travel the farthest. This one took us to the mountains north of Cebu to Saling-it Elementary School, the farthest elementary school in the Municipality of Borbon, where, with the support of our CEO, Paul Lyon, the team set out to reach every one of its 93 students, from kindergarten to grade 6, as the new school year began. 

I learned about the school through a high school classmate of mine, who now serves as its principal. What started as a personal giving initiative grew into something bigger, a full Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) effort for the company. 

To strengthen the company’s commitment to community involvement, we put together supplies for every student: notebooks, expanded envelopes, pencils, pens, rulers, glue, and crayons, small essentials that go a long way in easing the school-related expenses parents carry. We also donated reams of bond paper to help the teaches with their classroom needs. 

From there, the PBB-Digital Marketing Tean 7 stepped in to help repack everything, and what started as a task quickly turned into its own little team-building moment. Shout-out to Mel, Jonah, Alfred, Jorge, Jela, and Rochelle, for giving their time to repack the school supplies for easier distribution, all under the unofficial tagline: “Taronga og pack kay naa gyud batang maghilak ug kulangan.” (Pack it properly, because a kid will cry if something’s missing.) 

Big thanks to HR for helping with logistics, meals, and snacks, and to the MarComm and Admin teams for their support throughout the whole activity. This one truly took a village. 

Distribution day finally arrived on Thursday, June 11, 2026. We reached Saling-it around 10 AM, and the moment we arrived, the energy picked up. Supplies went out, along with burgers and drinks for the kids and teachers. On the ground with us were HR’s Jona, Marvey, and Jade; Aicel from ELP; Mel, Jela and Rochelle from the PBB-DM Team; and Tutz from MarComm. 

The weather couldn’t have been better, and the kids made the day unforgettable. Their small, heartfelt thank-yous and shy smiles as they received their supplies were some of the sweetest moments of the day. Afterward, we were treated to freshly harvested mangoes and vegetables, plus a hearty spread of tinolang bisayang manok, budbod pilit, and budbod balanghoy. They didn’t have to prepare any of it for us, but they did anyway, and it left our hearts just as full as our stomachs. 

On the way home, we stopped by a coffee shop in Catmon to unwind and talk about what’s next, and how efforts like this could continue. It was a good reminder that even simple support can make a difference. A bag of school supplies, time, and a willingness to travel the distance can help bring encouragement to students, teachers, and the community around them. We hope to visit Saling-it again soon. And thank you again to Paul and RipeConcepts-Nagarro for helping make this initiative possible.