Inquirer joins effort to help Taal Volcano victims

CALACA, Batangas (UPDATE) — The Inquirer Group of Companies has joined the continuous relief and recovery efforts for the families affected by the ongoing eruption of Taal Volcano.

Inquirer Foundation, the company’s social development arm, set up a soup kitchen and extended relief goods to evacuation centers in Calaca town in Batangas province, for 250 families or more than a thousand individuals displaced by the restive Taal Volcano.

Inquirer group chief executive officer Sandy Prieto with volunteers from the firm’s different business units distributed relief packs containing canned goods, water, medicines, face masks, and flashlights to evacuees from the towns of Talisay, Lemery, Agoncillo, and Laurel.

They also served chicken arroz caldo and eggs to the Taal victims temporarily sheltered at Calantas Elementary School and Lumbang Nabata Elementary School in Calaca.

Inquirer Foundation Executive Director Connie Kalagayan said the relief mission is Inquirer’s way of giving back to society and “making a difference.”

“We received a call from one of the evacuees telling us that their evacuation site has not received any relief goods yet because they are from a secluded area. The Inquirer Foundation has always been on the lookout for underserved communities,” Kalagayan said.

The company corporate affairs head also thanked Inquirer readers, volunteers and partners for providing aid to the victims of the volcano’s eruption.

“I would like to extend my utmost gratitude and appreciation to the selfless PDI volunteers, individual donors and companies who gave up their earnings, salaries, savings and school allowances to be able to support the victims of the Taal volcano eruptions,” Kalagayan said.

“Their support validates the triumph of the human spirit,” she added.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been firm in urging residents within the 14-kilometer radius danger zone to leave their area for their safety.

Following the volcanic activities that began Sunday, authorities have said tens of thousands of people have taken refuge in evacuation camps.

Moreover, the Inquirer group said it will hold similar relief efforts in the coming days.

CEO Sandy Prieto and volunteers from the Inquirer Group of Companies pose for a picture after they set up a soup kitchen and distributed relief goods on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2020, at evacuation centers in Calaca town, Batangas, where many families affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano stay. | NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/Philippine Daily Inquirer