Aboitiz Group calls for donations

The Aboitiz Group, led by the Aboitiz Foundation, is now accepting donations for areas in Mindanao that were hit by typhoon Pablo.

Thousands of families in New Bataan, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Iligan, and Davao in Mindanao, and the cities of Dumaguete and Tanjay in Negros Oriental are still in need of help.

The Aboitiz Group already gave over P5.5 million in assistance to an estimated 10,000 families in the said areas, of which P2 million came from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and P1 million from UnionBank of the Philippines.

More than half of the total funds were spent for relief operations in Compostela Valley, the area hardest hit by the typhoon.

For the donations that will be raised, the Aboitiz Group has prepared ready to eat food, water, bread and biscuits, personal effects like towels, blankets, underwear and cooking ware.

Even before super typhoon Pablo hit the country, the Aboitiz Group was ready with its emergency response activities. WeatherPhilippines Foundation used its weather forecasting system that aided the Group with its disaster risk management initiatives.

In Mindanao, Aboitiz Group subsidiary Therma Marine Inc. (TMI) in Maco, Davao del Norte coordinated with provincial and local governments to move affected families to evacuation centers. About 1,500 families have already been provided with relief goods, while 2,000 food packs and 1,500 packs of mats, towels, and cooking ware are yet to be distributed.

Aboitiz Group subsidiary Hedcor Sibulan has dispatched a relief team to five barangays in Bukidnon to assist about 600 families. Aboitiz Group subsidiary Therma South Inc. (TSI) also coordinated with local government representatives to distribute mats and blankets to 400 families.

Davao Light and Power Co., also an Aboitiz Group subsidiary, distributed food items to 1,000 families in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. The AboitizPower sales team in Mindanao also donated 1,000 bottles of water to families in barangay Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro City.

Davao Light has also dispatched teams of linemen to help the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative in restoring power to affected areas.

For the Visayas relief operations, the Aboitiz Foundation and Aboitiz Group subsidiary Visayan Electric Co. sent relief packs for the 1,250 families in Dumaguete and Tanjay. Veco also deployed linemen to Surigao del Sur to help Surigao del Sur Electric Cooperative I restore their power lines.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. has set up a communications center in Cebu for the relief operations.

Donations can be deposited with Union Bank of the Philippines at account number 10026-1070944 or City Savings Bank at account number 200-200331301.

For more information, contact Aboitiz Foundation’s Rowena Astillo at (0917) 6304484, Danny Cerence at (0917) 6308172 and Marissa Campomanes from the Compostela Valley Relief Operations at (0917) 7250992.