Taipan Lucio Tan kicks off Mindanao relief drive

Taipan Lucio Tan is doing his share to help the flash flood victims in northern Mindanao, according to an official of Philippine Airlines (PAL), one of the firms belonging to the Chinese-Filipino businessman.

Joey de Guzman, PAL vice president for corporate communications, yesterday told the Inquirer that “the Lucio Tan Group’s (LTG) relief drive went full blast with the distribution of ready-to-eat food, water, medicines, blankets, as well as body bags in various areas hit by flood waters due to Tropical Storm  “Sendong.”

“LTG donations include relief goods for 10,000 families, 350,000 bottles of Absolute and Summit mineral water, clothes and slipper. Two mobile water purifying stations from Agua Vida are also en route by sea and will arrive in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities by

December 23,” De Guzman disclosed.

The water stations are capable of producing 16,000 liters of clean potable water per day, he said.

Through the Tan Yan Kee Foundation (TYKF), the Fo Kuang Shan Temple in Taipei donated 1,000 body bags and 5,000 blankets which were airlifted by PAL from the Taiwan capital. They were delivered by PAL to Cagayan de Oro for immediate distribution by staff of Tanduay Distillers another Tan-owned firm.

In cooperation with the TYKF, the American Chamber of Commerce will send “banig,” or abaca beddings and mosquito nets, along with 2,000 packages of instant noodles, rice and water, said De Guzman, a former print journalist.

On Tuesday, Tan, along with  top officials of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, flew to Cagayan de Oro City to see for themselves the devastation caused by the floods and “check out the urgent needs of the victims,” he added.