The impact of the Akari U16 Girls’ Basketball Invitational extended far beyond the court for Barangay Sacred Heart.
After joining the tournament as the lone community-based team from Quezon City, the players and their supporters returned home not only with experience and pride but also with a gift that would brighten their whole community.
Barangay Captain Camille Malig shared how Akari’s donation of lighting equipment to Quezon City High School’s Multi-Purpose Hall—a facility used by students, the barangay, and the wider community—will make a positive impact.
“Number 1 po siyempre yung development ng athletics ng school,” she said. “Kasi ang simple ng ilaw, pero sa totoo lang, ang laking impact niya. Kasi at night or pag hapon na, hindi na magamit yung facility because hindi nga enough yung lighting.”
“And ginagamit din kasi yung facility not just for the school, pero pati yung mga palarong pang-lungsod. It is always being used for that, so maraming schools and maraming bata talaga yung nakikinabang. Pati yung mga graduations nila, JS Prom, and everything. They do it in that hall, so napakalaking bagay po.”
“Yung impact niya siguro hindi lang isa o dalawa,” she added. “Maraming tao talaga yung nagbebenefit from it.”
Captain Malig also expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the rare opportunity given to their community.
“I have nothing but gratitude in my heart,” she said. “First of all, na-invite kami out of all the barangays in Quezon City. Barangay Sacred Heart was chosen to participate in this event. Then, number 2 is, of course, the opportunity for the players nakalaro nila yung iba’t-ibang schools. [That’s] something that otherwise wouldn’t have happened if not for this tournament.”
“And third, yung hindi namin inexpect, yung donation para sa lighting ng Multi-Purpose Hall ng Quezon City High School. That hall, they use not just for sports. Talagang pati yung social events nila doon ginagawa. Even the alumni and the community as well use the facility for various events, so napakalaking tulong siya. It benefits not just the students, but yun nga, the entire community as well.”
For Akari, this initiative reflects its deeper commitment to youth development and uplifting local spaces, championing change not just through sport, but through meaningful, lasting contributions.
