San Miguel president Ramon S. Ang. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LEO M. SABANGAN II
The chief of the country’s largest company on Sunday pledged to aid families of soldiers who have fallen during the ongoing terror attack on Marawi by providing them with income-generating businesses.
According to San Miguel Corporation president Ramon Ang, the conglomerate will grant each family of Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel killed in action in the besieged Mindanao city a P2-million business start-up package.
In a statement, the San Miguel chief said this grant will “ensure that families will have a sustainable source of income for the long-term.”
“All of us Filipinos are in awe of the courage and heroism of our soldiers,” Ang said. “Our soldiers deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. It’s very unfortunate that we have lost many of them in this conflict. We mourn with their families and the whole nation.”
As of the weekend, the AFP has said that 36 of its personnel have been killed in action in the government’s drive to flush ISIS-linked Maute Group terrorists from the predominantly Muslim city.
“The best way we can honor our fallen soldiers is to try and help their loved ones have a chance at a better future,” the San Miguel chief said. “For our part, San Miguel commits to provide their families the means to put up their own start-up businesses. We will assist them, and help their community recover sustainably.”
Ang said that the company’s San Miguel Foundation and the AFP will finalize the particulars of the assistance package and rebuild program for the affected communities.
Apart from this business grant for the families of fallen soldiers, the conglomerate has also donated an equivalent of P2 billion to the Duterte’s anti-illegal narcotics campaign through the construction of drug rehabilitation facilities around the country.
It has also made a substantial donation for the building of houses for personnel of the AFP and the Philippine National Police in Davao City. JE/rga