Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said its response efforts for provinces hit by typhoon Odette continues, with food and water donations reaching over P35 million.
SMC said its subsidiary, Petron Corp., has also managed to restore full operations in most of its damaged service stations in affected provinces.
San Miguel President and CEO Ramon S. Ang said repairing and reopening damaged fuel service stations has also been a priority for the company as these are critical to restoring business operations, transportation, as well as supporting relief operations.
Nearly all damaged stations throughout the regions are now operational, Ang said.
The company is also donating and sending some 24,000 liters of water from its Bulacan Bulk Water Project, to several communities in Visayas and Mindanao, to be delivered through partners such as the MWSS, the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, a logistics partner and non-government organizations.
“The recovery of the Visayas and Mindanao regions from typhoon Odette is just beginning. There are still so many damaged structures and properties, business operations have yet to normalize, and a lot of our kababayans are still facing uncertainty in their daily lives. We’re committed to doing all we can to help in their recovery, both through providing relief, and getting all our operations back on track,” Ang said.
Included in San Miguel’s s overall relief efforts is the donation of about 100 tons of various food products to Southern Leyte, sent through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the provincial and local governments. Some 18 out of 19 municipalities in Southern Leyte were devastated by Odette, according to the AFP.
The company also partnered with the armed forces on an extended feeding program through its AFP Mobile Kitchen, which brings hot meals, including donated San Miguel food products, to various locations all over Cebu.
The donation included more than half a million pieces of assorted canned goods and another half a million packs of coffee.
Its food donations, coursed through local government units, the military, and nonprofit organizations, have reached Antique, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur, Bacolod, Bohol, Biliran, Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Camiguin, Cebu, Dinagat island, Davao del Sur, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Marinduque, Misamis Oriental, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Siquijor, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Tagoloan.
San Miguel Brewery has distributed relief goods, on top of providing water for the public, particularly in Mandaue City and Talisay City.
The company provided free water to its host communities as well as the University of Cebu and University of Cebu Hospital. Water in the said cities remains scarce, and recently, the company deployed aquatabs to purify water for drinking.
The company also conducted its own relief operations, distributing food donations to some 3,700 families in Mandaue and Mactan.
Image credits: Contributed photo