In the tight-knit town of Barangay Pinagtung-ulan in San Jose, Batangas, San Rafael Church has always been the gathering place for members of the community to celebrate mass and other special occasions together. Since its establishment in 1982, the church’s structures have gone through infrastructural wear and tear. With his love for the San Rafael Church, youth leader Dan Joseph Ramos dreamt of having the church renovated for his community.
It has this love that pushed Dan to submit a submitted a video entry for Shopee’s Barangay Shopee initiative — a contest where a barangay could win a community project of their choice. Little did he know that out of hundreds of entries submitted nationwide, his would be chosen as one of Barangay Shopee’s two winners.
Over the last month and a half, the church underwent renovations — with restorations to its exterior, roof, ceiling, flooring, and other structures. Shopee employees and members of Barangay Pinagtung-ulan also volunteered to paint the fence surrounding the church to foster the community spirit.
Last December 17, 2022, Shopee traveled to San Jose, Batangas to officially reveal the newly renovated San Rafael Church and celebrate with the members of Barangay Pinagtung-ulan.
Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, shared “We were inspired by Dan’s passion for serving both his church and community. His moving entry reminded us of our commitment to foster the community spirit of barangays all over the Philippines. We are grateful for the support of our communities all over the country, and we look forward to doing more for them with initiatives like Barangay Shopee.”
