MANILA, Philippines - Beverage giant Coca-Cola has announced the allocation of P10 million to help affected sari-sari store owners get back on their feet.
Company president Candy Annand has allotted the amount to help typhoon-devastated sari-sari store owners recover from the losses they incurred from the back-to-back typhoons, according to Coca-Cola Tigers basketball team manager JB Baylon.
The Coca-Cola basketball team went to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) office to personally deliver truckloads of bottled drinking water and other items to the agency for distribution to victims of widespread flooding in Metro Manila and Rizal.
Baylon said the amount would come in the form of merchandize.
“They will be given free merchandize that would serve as their capital. Any profit they make from this is theirs and they can use their profit to buy new goods,” Baylon said.
“We are now conducting our own survey and in due time, we will be distributing our products to these devastated store owners for them to start a new business,” he said.
WFP head to visit RP
The executive director of the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) will visit the country this week to assess the ongoing emergency relief conducted by the humanitarian agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
WFP executive director Josette Sheeran will visit the country on Oct. 21-22.
The WFP is extending assistance to the Philippines amounting to $26 million out of the total UN assistance of around $75 million.
This includes 26,000 metric tons of food to feed around one million people for three months; 30 inflatable dinghies; and the use of three helicopters.
The WFP will also provide an emergency telecommunications system to allow humanitarian workers to better coordinate relief efforts.
The agency will shortly deploy helicopters and boats to allow other humanitarian agencies to access hard-to-reach areas and to deliver vital supplies as rapidly as possible.
Poland and other European countries have pledged assistance through the WFP.
Lea raises funds
Meanwhile, Filipinos residing within the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine embassy in Washington have contributed more than $100,000 in relief funds for typhoon victims, including $19,000 that singer/actress Lea Salonga helped raise in twin events in the US capital, the embassy said in a statement.
At a “solidarity Mass” at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and at a reception at Ambassador Willy Gaa’s residence, Salonga made an appeal to donors, saying “much has been done…but much more still needs to be done.”
At the Mass attended by about 400 Filipinos and their friends, she sang “The Lord’s Prayer” in Filipino.
The embassy’s consular jurisdiction extends to a number of US states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia and other countries and territories such as the Bahamas, Barbados and Puerto Rico.
“Her extraordinary voice is matched by her extraordinary heart,” said Gaa of Salonga.
More than half of the $100,000 raised has been turned over to Philippine relief agencies and NGOs of choice by the donors and Filipino-American associations, the embassy said.
DSWD relief caravan off to Northern Luzon
The relief caravan of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that was supposed to leave for the Northern Luzon provinces tomorrow was forced to leave yesterday in response to the entry of typhoon “Ramil” in the country.
DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral, in an interview over Radyo ng Bayan, said that the 100-truck relief caravan left for Northern Luzon yesterday because the impact of the storm is expected to be felt on Monday in this region.
Cabral said they decided to deliver the relief goods yesterday so that the concerned provinces would already have their supplies before the storm hits them tomorrow.
She also advised local government executives in the concerned provinces to keep the relief goods as reserves for the meantime so that they would have enough to go around when the storm hits their areas.
The goods would be distributed to 19 provinces severely affected by typhoon “Pepeng.” – With Marvin Sy, Pia Lee-Brago, Jose Katigbak