Donor fatigue among PH companies noted in ‘Ruby’s’ wake

Teresita Quitorio salvages reusable materials from what is left of her house that was destroyed by typhoon Ruby (international name Hagupit) in Dolores, Eastern Samar. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

MANILA, Philippines—Are big corporations suffering from “donor fatigue”?

That was the question posed by a lawmaker from Eastern Samar after observing fewer donations coming in from the private sector in the aftermath of Typhoon “Ruby,” the strongest storm to hit the country this year.

Representative Ben Evardone, whose district bore the brunt of Ruby’s onslaught earlier this month and suffered much destruction from last year’s Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” wondered if those companies’ community social relations funds had “already dried up.”

“I ask these questions because aside from the national government, I have observed that only international and local NGOs so far are active in the rehabilitation… of areas hit by Ruby,” he said Friday.

The devastation caused by Ruby (international name: Hagupit), which made landfall in Dolores town in Eastern Samar, was only a fraction of that of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), but the typhoon still caused considerable damage across a wide swath of the central Philippines.

The storm, which became a supertyphoon before reaching land and weakening, killed almost 30 people, most of them from Eastern Samar, and destroyed more than P3 billion in agriculture and infrastructure.

Evardone made a plea to big corporations to “help us the same [way] they did to victims of Yolanda.”

Asked for estimates on how much money his province had received from Ruby and Yolanda, the congressman said it was difficult to give a figure. “I have no data [on Ruby]. I have not heard of any corporate donors. What I have seen in Eastern Samar after the typhoon are NGOs,” he said.

Evardone said the impact of Ruby on crops and houses was huge.

“There may be a much [fewer] casualties of Ruby compared to Yolanda because of the joint efforts of the national and local governments in ensuring mass evacuations, but the damage to houses, infrastructure and agriculture is comparable to that of Yolanda,” he said.

“Aside from relief items, the other immediate needs are housing materials like tarpaulins and iron steel sheets. I hope that the corporate world and kind hearted individuals will hear the plea of my constituents for assistance,” he said.

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