December 23, 2021, MANILA — Members of the private sector, through the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), vigorously responded to the pleas of help from the areas hardest hit by Typhoon Odette (International name: Rai).
The typhoon caused significant damage to food and water supplies, infrastructure, electricity, communication, and transportation. To support the government in its response, the largest corporations and businesses from various industries in the Philippines are coordinating with PDRF’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Food, Water, and Relief Packs
Jollibee Foods Corporation and McDonald’s Kindness Kitchen provided food to over 33,000 individuals.
San Miguel turned over ten (10) trucks full of canned goods to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for distribution.
Pilipinas Shell distributed Php 2.5M worth of food packs, water, and hygiene kits and provided fuel supply support.
Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines and Manila Water donated thousands of gallons of drinking water to be distributed to affected areas.
Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation donated relief goods to Cebu and Southern Leyte.
Power Repair and Restoration
Meralco, Aboitiz Power/Aboitiz Foundation, Cotabato and Davao Light and Power Corporation, have sent linemen to Cebu and potentially other provinces to help restore power which was identified as a critical need for the telcos, hospitals, and evacuation shelters.
Telecom
Smart Communications Inc. (through BizTalk and F&H Marketing) provided free calls and mobile phone charging services to evacuees.
Similarly, Globe Telecom set up free call and charging stations and provided free and unlimited GoWiFi in select malls, government offices, and airports in Visayas and Mindanao areas affected by the typhoon.
Logistics and Transportation
AirAsia is offering seats to humanitarian workers and free cargo space to transport relief goods.
Cebu Pacific is coordinating with PDRF to transport relief packages from various donors.
Lorenzo Shipping and the Philippine Liner Shipping Association have also committed free pier-to-pier transportation of goods to the affected islands.
Shelter
Consunji Construction sent teams to repair evacuation shelters in Siargao and Cebu.
Ayala Corporation/Ayala Malls provided temporary shelter to customers while BPI designated evacuation centers for their employees in Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Bacolod, and Iloilo.
Medical
In partnership with Philippine Airlines, the Makati Medical Center and Energy Development Corporation sent a medical team to Siargao and rescued over 120 people. The team is also currently working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to distribute supplies.
Monetary Pledges and Support
As of this writing, PDRF has raised Php 2.4 million from pledges of Maynilad, Metro Pacific Investment Corporation, and Peace and Equity Foundation.
Fintech Alliance PH, PayMaya, and Give2Asia have launched their own donation campaigns to help PDRF collect funds to procure and distribute relief aid. In addition to these channels, PDRF also opened international platforms through Go Fund Me and GavaGives where people worldwide can donate.
PDRF has also received support from Pilmico Foods Corporation, Wilderness Search And Rescue, Metro Pacific Iloilo Water, Global Business Power, SM Mall Iloilo, Vista Mall, Festive Walk Mall, Cebuana Lhuillier Foundation, International Container Terminals Services, Inc. Foundation, and DMCI Logistics.
PDRF deployed its first team to Southern Leyte earlier this week to distribute the immediate needs of affected communities. More groups will be deployed to Cebu, Dinagat Islands, and Siargao to set up PDRF satellite offices to efficiently coordinate all incoming and outgoing relief efforts. The PDRF EOC is constantly monitoring the status of these efforts and giving updates to member companies and partner organizations.
Typhoon Odette entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility last December 14 and made nine landfalls in Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negro Oriental, and Palawan before exiting in the West Philippines Sea.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, more than 1.3 million individuals have been affected by the typhoon and more than half a million people have been displaced, with many seeking shelter in more than 2,500 evacuation centers around the country.
Immediate needs include ready-to-eat food, water, temporary shelter, shelter repair toolkits, hygiene kits, jerry cans, generators, solar-powered lamps, flashlights, fuel, and debris clearing.
Cash donations are preferable to allow the team to adjust to the emerging needs as well as to save on the logistics costs of sending in-kind donations. For more information on how to support communities affected by Typhoon Odette, please visit: https://www.pdrf.org/how-you-can-help/
PDRF is the primary vehicle for private sector support during emergencies and is headed by co-chairs Manuel V. Pangilinan, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. As an alliance of businesses dedicated to building the disaster management capabilities of the private sector in the country, it works on all areas: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and recovery.
