On average, the Philippines is hit by around 20 typhoons every year, but 2020 has proven to be more than the usual.
Just a few days after Super Typhoon Rolly on October 31, Typhoon Ulysses wreaked havoc on November 11, leaving very little in time in between to recover from the devastation it caused.
This makes it an all-hands-on-deck situation for both the public and private sector relief workers.
One private-sector group, the various businesses comprising the MVP Group of Companies, has been pitching in since Day One, and in the case of Meralco, even beyond its franchise’s area of responsibility.
Led by MVP Group chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, the PLDT-Smart Foundation also donated rescue boats and personal floatation devices to the Philippine Air Force to aid in emergency and rescue operations in areas around Metro Manila still under duress from “Ulysses”.
Alagang Kapatid Foundation, Inc. (AKFI), the CSR (corporate social responsibility) unit of TV5, PLDT’s multimedia arm, sent immediate relief packages to families in Marikina City.
AKFI, together with Smart Communications, distributed snack packs and drinks to about 1,000 residents of Barangay Tañong, one of the suburbs in Marikina that’s adjacent to the Marikina river.
Smart Community Partnerships and PLDT Community Relations, CSR division of Smart and PLDT, also partnered with AKFI to distribute ready-to-eat food packs for the residents of Barangay Banaba in San Mateo, Rizal.
Residents of Banaba, in particular those from riverside Provident Village, were hit hard, with floodwaters reaching up to rooftops in low-lying areas.
During the height of Ulysses on Thursday morning, it was reported that the river rose to 22 meters, surpassing even the levels of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
Already in Bicol, the One Meralco Foundation (OMF), Meralco’s CSR group, also responded to the Marikina crisis, handing out immediate relief, such as food packs and others to over 100 families from Barangay Tumana who were seeking shelter at Marikina High School, even while floodwaters were still high.
Meanwhile, Alagang Kapatid has launched a donation drive for residents severely affected by Typhoon Ulysses. For cash and in-kind donations, you may visit AKFI’s Facebook Page for more details.
All these efforts are happening alongside the continuing initiatives of the MVP Group to provide aid in areas of communication, education, health, infrastructure, and livelihood, and help communities recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
