UPS Philippines, AIR21 bring storybooks closer to Filipino youth

UPS Philippines Managing Director, Chris Buono (first row, first from the left) and AIR21 President, Reuben Pangan (first row, third from the left) affirmed their partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for the “Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa” storybook donation campaign, represented by co-convenors Vicky Garchitorena (first row, second from the left), Mario Deriquito (first row, third from the right) and Br. Armin Luistro (first row, second from the right). / Contributed photo

UPS Philippines and AIR21 recently formalized their partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for the program “Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa” (Hope in Reading), a storybook donation campaign for public school students.

The tripartite partnership affirms UPS’ and AIR21’s roles as PBSP’s logistics partners for the storybook drive. Both firms transport storybooks from PBSP’s network of donors and distribute these to beneficiary elementary schools across the Philippines, including the recovering Marawi City. To date, UPS and AIR21 have delivered over 10,000 storybooks nationwide.

PBSP advocates for the provision of storybooks in public schools throughout the Philippines, as fiction has been proven to improve children’s mental capacities, as well as their social and cultural awareness.

“We at UPS value our communities and we consistently identify different ways in which we can support them in their areas of need. PBSP’s goal of promoting the love for reading is something that we all can identify with either as parents or individuals. As a kid, I didn’t have much of an appreciation for reading and it wasn’t until I was much older that I realized what I was missing and the value it had in opening new worlds, building relationships, and pushing me to continue to learn,” shared Chris Buono, managing director of UPS Philippines.

“This initiative is particularly close to my heart as my parents were both educators in the public school system, and I grew up watching them dedicate their lives to improving students’ learning abilities, which involved vast reading,” said Reuben Pangan, president of AIR21.

UPS and AIR21 also jointly held a fun-filled children’s program at Sto. Niño Elementary School, a public educational institution in Parañaque, Manila. This included a storytelling session by Buono and Br. Armin Luistro FSC, president of PBSP.

Luistro said that “through their support, UPS and AIR21 have furthered our goal of bringing hope to 23 million public school students and making reading more accessible. We’ve been able to reach even the most challenged areas in the Philippines.”