The Philippines usually averages around 20 typhoons annually, but as everyone can agree, the year 2020 is far from usual.
Just a few days after Super Typhoon Rolly on October 31, Typhoon Ulysses rolled in on November 11, leaving very little time in between to recover from the devastation it wrought.
As of this writing, combined fatalities from the 19th and 22nd typhoons of the season, respectively, are at about 65, still with about 30 missing, and damages assessed at around P22 billion (US$456 million) all across Luzon.
This makes it an all-hands-on-deck situation from 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.
Most recently, led by MVP Group chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF) 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 Typhoon 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 adjacent o the Marikina River.
Smart Community Partnerships and PLDT Community Relations, CSR divisions of Smart and PLDT, also partnered with AKFI to distribute ready-to-eat food packs to residents of Barangay Banaba in San Mateo, Rizal.
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