Bata, a world-renowned shoe brand with over 6,000 retail stores across the globe, partnered anew with SM Foundation (SMFI) in donating 1,800 pairs of shoes for the front -liners of the Philippine General Hospital. This is part of Bata’s Global 1 Million pairs donation project.

One of PGH frontliners showing her worn out shoes. She was first to choose from the shoes donation of Bata.

“Due to long and often times back-to-back work shifts, a number of our health workers are experiencing foot and back pain,” says SM Foundation Executive Director Debbie Sy.  “The need to constantly disinfect their shoes also results in faster wearing out of their footwear. With this, SMFI and Bata wanted to provide our health workers with quality footwear to address this need and provide them with comfortable footwear and protection while at work and doing their rounds.”

“Bata Philippines donated these shoes as our way of saying thank you to our front-liners for the help that they have extended to the country during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Bata Philippines General Manager Arlyn Guanlao.

UP PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi expressed his gratitude to SM Foundation and Bata, “I’d like to thank SM Foundation for being ever supportive of our COVID-19 fight here in PGH. You have covered the whole spectrum of our needs from ventilators and now sneakers. Thank you to Bata shoes for having shared their different kinds of sneakers which I’m sure would go a long way into making our front- liners feel appreciated and comfortable when they work.”

Bata Philippines General Manager Arlyn Guanlao and UP PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi during the distribution of Bata shoes at the Philippine General Hospital. Through SMFI, Bata Philippines was able to donate 1,800 pairs of shoes to PGH as part of their “Bata Heroes” project. General Hospital.

Since the onset of the outbreak, Bata through its “Bata Heroes” initiative has been working with its long-standing foundations, charitable partners, government agencies, and other organization to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the years, SMFI and Bata have been collaborating on social good projects. In 2018, they teamed up to construct a new school building for Telabastagan Integrated School in San Fernando, Pampanga. More recently, in March

2020 for the distribution of 400 pairs of shoes for the students of Looc Elementary School in Nasugbu, Batangas.