NBA teams up with SMART in delivering more gadgets to schools

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The National Basketball Association (NBA) collaborated with the Philippines’ leading wireless provider SMART Communications to provide more distance learning equipment to remote communities in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Through the NBA Cares program of the league, the “School-in-a-Bag” program of SMART will include WiFi devices, laptops, and tablets which will be given to the students of some schools all over the country.

“Our collaboration with the NBA allows us to give more children in remote communities more opportunities to pursue their passion and purpose, and a fighting chance for a better future,” said Smart CEO Al Panlilio.

The initial beneficiary count of the NBA x SMART collaboration are already up to 20 schools across 16 cities and provinces.

Under Luzon, Batanes, Benguet, Bulacan, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Romblon will be the recipient provinces, Biliran and Siquijor in Visayas, and Agusan del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Surigao del Norte, and Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao.

As one of the most basketball-crazy countries in the world, this is the NBA’s way of giving back to the Philippines.

“Through NBA Cares, we’re proud to support our valued partner Smart and their School-in-a-Bag program, which delivers an innovative and sustainable approach to enhancing the distance learning experience for Filipino youth,” said NBA Asia managing director Scott Levy.