The Makati City local government launched on Monday, March, 21, the newest iteration of its Air Binay (AB) sneakers to its students in preparation for the start of face-to-face classes amid the decline in Covid-19 cases.
Makati City Mayor Abby Binay, together with other city government officials, led the distribution of the sneakers and other school supplies to the pupils of Pio del Pilar High School and Makati High School. Each student received AB 4.0 sneakers, Randoseru bags, jackets, and raincoats.
According to Binay, the city government improved the design and features of AB 4.0 after listening to the feedback of students and their parents who previously received the AB 3.0 sneakers.
The new AB 4.0 features a new dark blue and white color scheme from the previous light blue and white AB 3.0 for easier cleaning of the shoes.
Binay explained that the free sneaker project was launched in 2017 wherein a total of 89,862 students received the very first AB sneakers.
The AB 2.0 was then released in 2019 and was given to 90,000 students from kindergarten to senior high school.
In 2020, the third iteration of the sneakers, AB 3.0, was distributed to 93,110 pupils which now include SPED and ALS students.
However, the project was halted following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.
Binay said the initiative aims to not just provide the city's public school students with shoes that they can use daily both inside and outside of school, but to also boost their morale by giving them shoes that are not just good looking, but are also of high quality.
The mayor said residents may check the city's official Facebook page for the schedule of the shoes' distribution.