Last of three parts
IT has been almost a month since Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? and Typhoon ?Pepeng? ravaged Metro Manila and parts of Luzon, but the reconstruction and rebuilding of damaged homes, buildings, schools and farms are far from over.
Victims of the back-to-back storms, however, are heartened by the outpouring of support from private firms that have deemed it fit to do their part.
DHL Supply Chain Philippines Inc. (DSC), for instance, has broadened its own corporate relief effort following recent aid missions to Muntinlupa City.
DSC country managing director Olive Ramos said the firm, a leading contract logistics services provider, continues to collect relief supplies and clothing donated by employees and the company for distribution to flood victims in nearby areas. Government and international experts anticipate flooding in the worst-hit locations to subside in about three to five months.
New effort
?Our recent relief missions to Barangays Cupang and Buli in Muntinlupa, which are close to Laguna de Bay, showed us that more relief and rehabilitation work needs to be done,? she said. ?We intend, therefore, to mount a new effort.?
DSC gave out some 1,500 bags of relief goods at the Cupang and Buli elementary schools, distribution sites for the DSC relief effort. Each plastic bag contained items either donated by DSC employees or bought with funds contributed by employees and the company. Each bag contains 2 kilos of rice, assorted canned goods, instant noodles, toiletries and clothes.
The extent of DSC?s concern and that of its regional office for flood victims was evident in the presence of Donald McGarva, president, representative director and VP for North Asia, and Julie Jarvis, human resources leader for Asia Pacific. McGarva, Jarvis and Ramos personally handed out the relief goods.
Emergency network
IBM, meanwhile, has committed P40 million worth of technology, services and expertise as part of its contribution to the Philippines? disaster rehabilitation and preparedness effort. The company immediately reached out to government agencies to provide recovery and relief support in the aftermath of Ondoy.
IBM is strengthening its partnership and collaboration with National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) toward effective implementation of its Emergency Response Network (ERN), Sahana Go Kit. Sahana is an integrated set of free and open source Web-based applications that provide solutions to large-scale humanitarian problems in the wake of a disaster?from finding missing people, managing aid, managing volunteers, tracking camps effectively between government groups, the civil society (NGOs) and the victims themselves.
IBM and NDCC will be exploring ways to customize Sahana. IBM is prepared to provide its technology to enhance NDCC?s existing IT infrastructure and complement it with necessary skills and services that will address the needs identified by the NDCC Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for the customization, modification and deployment of Sahana.
Amway Philippines, for its part, has set aside more than P600,000 worth of cleaning and disinfectant products, liquid organic cleaner (LOC) multipurpose cleaner and pursue disinfectant cleaner, for the cleanup drive in public elementary schools in support of the Department of Education?s Brigada Eskwela Plus Program.
Emergency network
Amway is coordinating with the Brigada Eskwela Plus Program of the Department of Education for the cleanup of schools. It has also mobilized its employees and independent business owners to help clean up damaged schools.
The activity is part of Amway?s partnership with the Department of Education under the One by One Campaign for Children. The campaign is Amway?s global initiative to help raise the quality of lives of children around the world. In the Philippines, it has concentrated on promoting children?s rights and literacy through storytelling.
Leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom has also joined the campaign to help damaged schools.
?Bangon Pinoy?
Globe, through its Bangon Pinoy Program, recently went to Concepcion Integrated School in Marikina City to rebuild its computer laboratory, which was completely wiped out by floods. Bangon Pinoy brought 10 new computers plus computer tables and chairs to replace the equipment the school lost in the flood. In addition, the company is providing Globe Broadband connection to the school for six months to help the students and faculty stay connected to the Internet for research and other school requirements.
Globe Bangon Pinoy is an integrated effort to help rebuild communities severely affected by Ondoy and Pepeng with its relief operations, financial assistance, network restoration and a series of community-rebuilding activities.
To encourage more donations, BDO Unibank Inc., the country?s top remittance bank, has waived its remittance service fees on donations sent to institutions participating in relief efforts for storm victims.
The bank, through its remittance offices in Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Italy and Germany, said there would be no service fees charged on cash donations sent to BDO Foundation and ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.?s Sagip-Kapamilya.
A number of BDO?s remittance partners all over the world have also given their commitment to this effort.
In Asia, for instance, those participating are BTI Pesos Express in Singapore, Afima Express in Brunei, EEC International Phil Corp. in Taiwan and Forex World Australia Pty. Ltd. In the United States and Canada, BDO?s remittance partners Chartered Forex, E-Pera Corp., Mercury Quick, New York Bay and Continental Exchange are also helping by waiving remittance fees for the said institutions.
The same goes for CBN Grupo, Global Express Money Remittance and Safe Transfer Ltd. in Europe and BDO?s remittance partners in the Middle East?Leela Megh Exchange, Al Ansari Exchange and Al Ghurair Exchange. BDO has also arranged with its global money transfer company partner, Xoom Corp., to waive the fee for all remittances credited to the Philippine Red Cross account.
With the cancelation of remittance service fees, concerned Filipinos abroad will be encouraged to send monetary help to victims of the storms.
The Development Bank of the Philippines, on the other hand, will schedule lectures on good environmental practices (including waste disposal) and basic livelihood to help typhoon victims get back on their feet.
The state-run financial institution will also support the planting of trees, generally fruit trees, and other useful species in Barangay Tumana, Marikina City.
Rain falling on higher ground, such as Antipolo and Montalban, easily reaches lower places because there are very few trees to block its way.
?We will be planting trees that do not grow very tall and would not pose hazards to residents; trees that are economically useful; trees that can retard water run-off or flow; and trees that help store water on the ground,? said DBP president Reynaldo G. David.
