All UPS envelopes originating from the Philippines will now carry a design created by a student from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

UPS Philippines, together with DLS-CSB and with the support of the Delbros Group, organized an art competition in search of a distinctly Filipino design for its envelopes. The initiative gives a student artwork exposure on a piece of packaging that travels with every international shipment the company handles out of the country.

Lauren Kerby Obaldo's entry, "Haraya sa Kalsada," was named Grand Prize winner of the UPS Philippines Express Envelope Design Contest at a ceremony held at the Ayala Museum on Aug. 25. Mr. Obaldo, an incoming DLS-CSB sophomore who was a college freshman when he joined, beat out 400 other entries. His work was selected from a field that was narrowed down to 60, then to 30, and finally to nine finalists whose pieces were displayed at the Ayala Museum.

According to Katrina Juane, Chairperson of the DLS-CSB Multimedia Arts program under which Mr. Obaldo is enrolled, the contest began as a class project integrated into the Color Theory course for freshmen.

Vibhav Varshney, marketing manager for UPS Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, explained the reasoning behind bringing the program to the country: "Why we brought this program here is because of the massive infrastructure investment that UPS is doing in the Philippines," referring to the expansion of the company's Clark International Airport hub, which is set to launch in October. "In sync with that, we wanted to showcase local talent." The expanded hub forms part of the company's broader buildout of its logistics capacity in the country.

The contest previously ran in Japan in 2023 and in Singapore in 2025, making the Philippines the third market where UPS has run the design competition.

"All our customers in the Philippines will get this envelope. Whenever they ship an envelope out — and we're an international company — this envelope will go to any country in the world. We serve 220 countries worldwide," Mr. Varshney said.

For his winning effort, Mr. Obaldo received a certificate and a voucher. "What the winner really wins is this opportunity of the award and the design getting featured on one of the most recognizable pieces of logistics packaging in the world," Mr. Varshney added.

Mr. Obaldo's design features the image of a jeepney. "Super common talaga ng concept ko. Jeepney lang siya (my concept is super common. It's just a jeepney)," he said, comparing his work to those of his fellow finalists, which included airplanes, an airport, and aerial views among other motifs. "The jeepney is important to our culture, as a Filipino. Nakakalimutan na ng iba iyong jeepney, dahil nga nagkakaroon ng modernization (some have forgotten the jeepney, because of modernization)." His remark reflects an ongoing public debate over the government's jeepney modernization program, which has pushed operators to replace traditional jeepneys with newer vehicles, drawing concern from some sectors over the fate of the iconic transport.

The envelopes will be rolled out soon and will remain in circulation for about a year, or while supplies last. — Joseph L. Garcia