Rebuilding after disaster: Most Valuable Partner

MANILA, Philippines - In this light, the companies owned by Manny V. Pangilinan, who had been doing various CSR projects individually, decided to unite under the banner of Tulong Kapatid, which has become the corporate social responsibility and disaster response initiative of the MVP Group of Companies.

“In any disaster, all utilities are affected,” points out Esther Santos, president of the PLDT Smart Foundation. With companies that provide basic services – like telecommunications, water, and electricity – it made sense to join forces to enable better coordination.

“Our ability to help has multiplied,” says Jeffrey Tarayao, president of One Meralco Foundation. Because of Tulong Kapatid, he adds, “We coordinate faster. The strength of each company is maximized. We are able to utilize our core competencies and help with high confidence.”

Tulong Kapatid first made its impact with a telethon on Dec. 10 last year to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Pablo. Though the telethon was organized in only 24 hours, the collective efforts of Tulong Kapatid companies raised over P100 million in just six hours.

Through their projects fueled by the funds raised through the telethon, the foundations under Tulong Kapatid have witnessed both devastation as they viewed the aftermath of storms, as well as heartwarming moments.

TV-5’s Menchie Silvestre, executive director of Alagang Kapatid Foundation, recalls an old woman, a vendor from Novaliches, who came to their warehouse at ten in the evening to donate P100 as the team readied their relief goods for Davao Oriental. She was likewise humbled by a family who squeezed into a tricycle just to deliver their donations.

For some beneficiaries in Compostela Valley, it was their first time to taste Selecta Moo. “I will always remember the twinkle in their eyes,” says Silvestre as she recalls the children’s first sip of the chocolate drink.

Tulong Kapatid has also extended their help by adopting 15 public schools and providing a feeding program for them for a whole year.

“MVP always tells us that we should be prepared and quick to respond,” says Santos, noting that the chairman is very hands on, especially when it comes to disaster relief and he himself is a model of speedy response.

“From a business perspective, while weather and disaster in general are really beyond our control, there are things you can do to manage your affairs, especially if you can detect and foresee an impending disaster,” says Pangilinan on the philosophy behind Tulong Kapatid. “You want your people to be prepared for it before it starts, while it’s striking, and after it strikes. If we could bring not only ourselves as part of our social responsibility, but also the management skills that are inherent in running a business, in managing your weather affairs, then that’s better.”

Beyond response to natural calamities, Tulong Kapatid also stresses preparedness, explains Darwin Flores, community partnerships department head of Smart Communications.

By tapping the expertise of Smart, “Project NOAH,” or Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, a responsive disaster mitigation program was launched last year. The Project NOAH app provides a graphic representation of overall weather-related hazards in real time, providing valuable information that aids in disaster preparedness.

Developed in collaboration with the University of the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and other agencies of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) including the Advanced Science and Technology Institute and the Science and Technology Information Institute, the mobile app provides real-time information that helps users monitor potential danger. It likewise warns users to take necessary precautions as the weather situation worsens.

Harnessing the MVP Group resources, DOST has also tapped Sun Cellular to install automated rain gauges in 600 cell sites nationwide. Smart has also helped in transmitting weather data for DOST’s flood warning system.

Smart was recently awarded for Best Community Telecom Project at the 16th Telecom Asia Awards in Kuala Lumpur, noting how useful and innovative Project NOAH is to the country, which is constantly hit by storms.

Additionally, community preparedness programs that aim to increase the capacities of local government units and high-risk communities to cope with the hazards of flooding are being implemented in cities all over the country. Seminars, workshops, and even a flood drill are provided through the project.

Aside from disaster preparedness, the foundations under Tulong Kapatid have their own programs aimed at helping different sectors of the society. PLDT-Smart Foundation’s projects include Gabay Guro which provides scholarships for teachers and aspiring teachers.

Aimed at the youth, Project Pagsulong is a collaboration between PLDT KaAsenso, PLDT-Smart Foundation, RFM Foundation and The Outstanding Students of the Philippines Alumni Community. This competition gives the youth a platform to share their ideas on how to eradicate poverty and gives finalists a grant to implement these project proposals. It aims to deepen the youth’s involvement in nation-building.

Smart has projects like the Dynamic Learning Program and the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP).

The foundation has stayed true to investing in their beneficiaries’ future, with long term goals in mind. Smart proved this when they hired Rod Coronel, who was a participant in SWEEP.

“Being a SWEEP participant helped me land a job in Smart (in 2011) where I was hired as mobile development supervisor. It also helped me become more creative in solving problems and have an entrepreneurial mindset,” says Coronel on how Smart’s program has brought him to where he is today.

When Coronel and his group participated in the 3rd SWEEP around six years ago, they created an application called SMART Calendar, which allows users to conveniently sync their different calendars.

Coronel is now a supervisor at Voyager Innovation, a Smart subsidiary. “I’m also operating ph-deals.com, a daily deals aggregator, and will be launching extrabaon.com soon, a website where students can offer their services and sell old books to get extra allowance.”

Coronel has since given back to the SWEEP program as a mentor for other participants. The teams that he has mentored have come up with innovations such as Smart Iwas Baha, a flood monitoring and reporting for roads; Bantay Baranggay, an online portal where you can submit reports to local LGUs; and Pasagoods, an online service where you can donate goods to disasters and other social causes – projects that are geared towards disaster management and preparedness as well as community empowerment.

Most recently, the MVP group of companies, led by the Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, launched a series of programs in line with its Shore it Up campaign. Started in 2009, after Tropical Storm Ondoy, Shore it Up now has some 13,000 volunteers involved in coral reef restoration and coastal and underwater clean-up.

The campaign likewise advocates educating elementary students on environment protection, as well as creating livelihood projects for those living in coastal communities. The large number of volunteers involved in the project also boosts tourism in the various sites, with thousands trekking to each coastal community for the project. Once the Shore it Up activities are accomplished, the newly improved and cleared shores are likely to generate even more livelihood opportunities for the nearby coastal communities.

The areas named as this year’s Shore it Up beneficiaries are Anilao, Batangas; Puerto Galera, Mindoro; Hundred Islands in Pangasinan; Subic, Zambales; and Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte.

“We look at this as a long term investment,” says Santos on the foundations’ joint initiatives. Together, Tulong Kapatid has truly become a most valuable partner for the country’s future.