SMC units mobilize to provide habagat relief

MANILA, Philippines - Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. has released around P11.8 million worth of food products and bottled drinking water for relief efforts for victims of floods throughout Metro Manila and parts of Luzon, brought on by a low pressure area or “habagat” last week.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said that the company’s efforts to distribute relief goods are continuing and that it was committed to helping the victims of the floods that virtually paralyzed the city.

The products were distributed in critical areas in Quezon City, Manila, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Valenzuela, Malabon, Marikina, San Juan, Taguig, Pateros, and the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Pampanga, Bataan, and Laguna.

More than 63,642 families or around 318,210 individuals in 22 locations are estimated to have benefitted from the relief goods, which consisted of canned food, cooked eggs, and bottled water.

On top of these, employees across the San Miguel group also donated rice, noodles, and water. Employee volunteers from San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp., Petron Corp., and San Miguel Brewery Inc.’s Polo Brewery also took part in relief efforts, putting up soup kitchens and participating in rescue and evacuation efforts.

For its own initiatives, Petron Corp., through the Petron Foundation, distributed relief goods to over 8,900 families or 42,500 individuals in 35 different locations in Bulacan, Bataan, Marikina, Navotas, Malabon, Quezon City, Manila, and Muntinlupa. 

It identified locations based on the recommendations of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response and its own sales, operations, corporate affairs, and Petron Foundation teams. Goods were distributed individually to affected families.

It has also organized soup kitchens that served around 7,200 individuals. It will distribute an additional 2,000 relief packs and its continuing efforts to set up soup kitchens will serve another 10,000 people.

Petron also activated around 350 gas stations nationwide to serve as drop-off points for relief goods such as used clothes, blankets, canned goods, and drinking water.

For its part, Philippine Airlines (PAL) flew about 30 metric tons of ready-to-eat therapeutic food specially formulated for malnourished children, free of charge, through the PAL Humanitarian Cargo Grant.

The goods were donated by the United Nations World Food Program, for distribution by the DSWD. They also carried, at no cost, bananas donated by the Cagayan de Oro Eco Warriors and Fedco, a major fruit producer in Davao. The flag carrier, through its PAL Foundation, also donated surplus blankets.