Meralco provides two-pronged support to Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is providing a two-pronged approach to help in the recovery efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, which recently devastated a major portion of the Visayas, particularly Region 8. Its social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), is rallying its partners in mobilizing relief for the affected communities.

OMF president and Meralco chief CSR officer Jeffrey Tarayao said their first priority is to provide swift aid to the typhoon victims who are in immediate need of basic necessities.

“We recognize the urgency of the situation and know the needs of those affected by Typhoon Yolanda. We are expediting the process in order for these victims to receive the aid coming from Meralco immediately,” said Tarayao.

The foundation is particularly reaching out to other towns receiving inadequate relief.

As of Friday, Tarayao said the OMF has repacked 7,000 relief bags and has managed the MVP Tulong Kapatid Center inside the Meralco compound in Ortigas, Pasig City to receive relief goods. Hundreds of Meralco employees volunteered to help pack the donated goods.

“To date, we have distributed relief goods to the following areas: 500 relief bags to Alagang Kapatid in Tacloban, Leyte; 500 relief bags in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro; 1,000 relief bags for Leyte; 1,000 relief bags for affected families of employees of various electric cooperatives in Leyte through the Consumers Alliance for Rural Energy (1 CARE); 1,000 relief bags in Javier, Leyte; 500 relief bags in Culion, Palawan; 1,000 relief bags in northern Iloilo; and 500 relief bags in Isabel, Leyte. We also donated P5 million to the TV5 telethon for Typhoon Yolanda which was held last Sunday, Nov. 10,” Tarayao said.

Aside from these relief efforts, Meralco said it provided 40 generator sets to power key facilities.

Meralco added that its engineers and line personnel are currently on Panay Island to determine the extent of the damage and assess the assistance to be provided.

“We are currently assessing the situation in Panay and we are ready to extend help in the restoration of damaged electrical facilities. The objective is to be able to repair vital facilities at the shortest time possible to help these areas recover quickly. For the other areas, especially the Samar-Leyte grid, we are coordinating with the various stakeholders to help as well in the restoration efforts,” said SEVP and networks head Ricardo Buencamino.