To help Marawi, one can start in Manila.
Employees and officials of at least 28 companies in Metro Manila, including the Inquirer, did just that on Saturday.
They took part in this year’s “Servathon” (service marathon) dedicated to Marawi children at the Philippine International Convention Center.
The volunteers mixed ingredients to produce dish washing liquid, liquid bath soap and hand sanitizers.
They produced 252 1-liter bottles of dish washing liquid, 420 1-L bottles of liquid bath soap and 269 bottles of hand sanitizer.
Relief packages
The employees and officials also packed pillows, blankets, mosquito traps, school supplies, toothbrushes and other materials for distribution to evacuees in towns and villages still hosting shelters for the displaced people of Marawi.
Gianna Montinola, head of the charitable group Hands On Manila, said the event was about giving back to communities.
Jamela Alindogan, an Al Jazeera reporter, said in a speech that the event was proof that people need not be physically present in Marawi to help the city’s people.
“The children of Marawi will be reminded that, to us, they still exist,” she added.
The other companies and organizations that took part in Servathon were Zendesk, Wells Fargo, Visa, True Value, Solaire Cares, Romulo Mabanta Buenaventura Sayoc & de los Angeles, Rockwell Land, Raffles and Fairmont Makati.
Also the PTC Group, Northern Trust, Insular Foundation, Far Eastern University, Manulife, International Container Terminal Services, Ingram Micro, Henkel, First Oceanic Property Management, EON, Dominguez Marketing Communications, Cyma Greek Taverna, Cibo, Central Azucarera Don Pedro, Concepcion Industrial Corporation, Casas+Architects, BP Waterworks, Bank of the Philippine Islands and AXA.