More than a month after Typhoon Odette devastated the Visayas and Mindanao regions, San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) response operations has now reached P83.4 million, following financial support extended to its affected employees and students displaced by the disaster.
SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that along with efforts to distribute some P35 million in food aid and water to various provinces, the company made sure that its own employees who are also affected by the typhoon would have the means to get back on their feet.
SMC president and CEO Ramon S. Ang said that along with efforts to distribute some P35 million in food aid and water to various provinces, the company made sure that its own employees who are also affected by the typhoon would have the means to get back on their feet.
These employees, scattered throughout mostly the Visayas region where damage was more widespread, belong to various SMC companies and facilities, including its food and beverage, fuels, packaging, infrastructure, properties, banking and other businesses
Apart from helping its employees, SMC also recently provided assistance to students in Cebu, through a P5 million donation to the University of the Phlippines’ (UP) “Tabang sa Iskolar ng Bayan” initiative.
The donation will cover the living expenses and remote learning requirements of affected students, as well as the setting up of learning hubs that will temporarily serve as study centers throughout the city.
According to the Department of Education, around 15 million students from over 35,000 schools have been affected by Typhoon Odette. Through the “Tabang sa Iskolar ng Bayan” campaign, UP mobilizes its network of partners to help address the pressing needs of affected students.
In the weeks following Typhoon Odette last December, SMC dispatched some P35 million worth of food donations and distributed these to affected provinces through various channels, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, provincial and local governments, and partner non-profit organizations.
Among the provinces that received the donations are: Antique, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur, Bacolod, Bohol, Biliran, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Cebu, Dinagat island, Davao del Sur, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Marinduque, Misamis Oriental, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Siquijor, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Tagoloan.
The company also donated some 24,000 liters of water from its Bulacan Bulk Water Project to several communities in Visayas and Mindanao.
SMC’s various businesses operating in the affected also organized relief operations.
Petron Corp. has been supporting the critical fuel needs of essential facilities, including hospitals, power plants, and water facilities. The company also recently announced that all its damaged service stations across the regions are back in full operation.
San Miguel Brewery, for its part, recently raised P300,000 from its internal donation drive for the benefit of SMB employees in affected areas. In addition, the company has also distributed relief goods and water for its host communities and the public in Cebu.
