BARCELONA, SPAIN—BDO Unibank’s remittance office in Barcelona, Spain, announced it has organized a donation drive to the distressed victims of the Taal eruption by putting up drop-off boxes for Filipinos who want to donate in kind.
BDO Unibank said these donation boxes will then be delivered to BDO Foundation Inc. in the Philippines for distribution to the affected areas. Filipinos living in Barcelona are mostly from Batangas and Cavite, which were significantly affected by the volcanic eruption on January 12.
Officers and staff of BDO Remit Spain have also visited Filipino communities in Barcelona including Filipino Asian stores, restaurants, medical providers, clinics, freight forwarders, travel agencies and grocery stores to promote their donation campaign, according to BDO Unibank.
It added that the Saint Agustin Parish in Barcelona has likewise utilized the parish community to spread the word on the said charitable efforts. They posted BDO Remit’s materials about the donation drive within church premises and regularly announced during the Sunday mass that drop-off donation boxes were put up.
“We have already filled up the first box of donations and [are] now on our second box. More people are now donating and sending as a result of our info drive,” Gerard Ian M. Belarmino, marketing officer in BDO Remit Spain, was quoted in a statement as saying. “We are receiving positive responses from our Kabayans [compatriots] for our efforts especially the waived fees for those who want to donate anonymously. Filipino community leaders are also grateful to us for accepting coin donations to be remitted to the Philippines.”
Local banks in Spain charge commissions for coin transactions. By remitting this through BDO instead, every Euro cent would be sent to the Taal victims, BDO Unibank said.
These coin donations have totaled 700 Euros to date.
Last January 14, BDO waived its remittance fees on cash donations sent through the different BDO Remit offices abroad for the victims of the Mount Taal eruption. The campaign runs up to March 31, 2020, the bank said.
Cash donations sent through BDO Remit offices will then be coursed through different foundations. In turn, these foundations will facilitate the purchase and distribution of relief goods in evacuation centers that temporarily house the Taal victims.
BDO has extensive remittance coverage across the globe, with overseas remittance offices and partners across Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Aside from the different BDO Remit offices, the bank said its global remit partners are also receiving cash donations for the benefit of the Taal eruption victims. Regular remittance charges apply, it noted.