DAVAO CITY , Philippines – At least 21,000 families affected by typhoon “Pablo†in Southern Mindanao last December are expected to benefit from the P75-million shelter program initiated by “Tulong Kapatid,†a disaster response effort by the group of companies led by businessman Manny Pangilinan.
Among the hardest-hit by Pablo were Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley where more than 1,000 people died and 500 others have remained missing.
In implementing the resettlement housing project for the Pablo victims, Tulong Kapatid has linked up with Davao Oriental Gov. Corazon Malanyaon who would allocate the land where the houses would be built. Both parties recently signed a memorandum of agreement for the undertaking.
The Tulong Kapatid initiative began when all Pangilinan-led companies took part in a six-hour telethon simulcast over TV5, Aksyon TV, Radyo 5, and 93.2 News FM in the aftermath of Pablo.
The companies that joined the initiative included the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, First Pacific Companies, Metro Pacific Investments, Philex Mining, Maynilad, Meralco, TV5, and Makati Medical Center.
“The MVP Group is the first private (group) to heed our call for help and provide us with the much-needed assistance for housing. Their practice of corporate social responsibility upholds the genuine spirit of bayanihan and what it truly stands for,†Malanyaon said.