More companies are joining efforts to support Filipino communities hit hard by the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon amid the government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The Lopez Group of Companies that owns media giant ABS-CBN Corp. pledged P100 million to the “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” fund-raising campaign while mobile wallet PayMaya allowed donations to partners, such as Philippine Red Cross, Unicef, Caritas Manila and Oxfam Pilipinas.
For its part, Insular Life Assurance Co. Ltd (InLife) granted relief not only to policy holders but also its employees amid the community quarantines covering Luzon and other parts of the country aimed at stopping the disease from further spreading.
ABS-CBN, which launched Pantawid ng Pag-ibig, said the money raised would be used for buying food and basic necessities for Filipino families in need.“We hope that no Filipino will suffer from hunger at this difficult time. As we have proven many times before, it is our love and concern for each other that will get us through any crisis,” ABS-CBN president and CEO Carlo Katigbak said in a statement.
Four other companies have so far pledged relief goods to this cause. These are Century Canning Corp., Suy Sing Commercial Corp., Republic Biscuit Corp. and the Lucio Tan Group.
For PayMaya, donations can be made by visiting the #OneAgainstCOVID19 page in the PayMaya website (https://donate.paymaya.com) or going to the Pay Bills section of the PayMaya app.
Other partner organizations include Philippine Business for Social Progress, Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, TV5’s Alagang Kapatid Foundation, PLDT-Smart Foundation, and #nowheretogobutUP.
“In this time of great and urgent need, coming together in the traditional spirit of bayanihan becomes ever more important so that no one gets left behind. This #OneAgainstCOVID19 harnesses the power of collaboration and digital payments as we fight this global pandemic,” PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando B. Vea said in a statement.
InLife—the first and biggest Filipino-led life insurance firm—said it extended its grace period for premium payments to two months, instead of only 31 days, while the country grapples with the pandemic.
“We understand that policyholders may need to reallocate their financial resources during this emergency situation. Thus, we are giving an extended grace period for all policy payments due from March to April 30,” InLife executive chair Nina D. Aguas said.
Save for accident-only policies, InLife’s policies cover the COVID-19.
“Those who own the I-Heal plan, Premium Protect Series (InLife Premium Protect 1,000, InLife Premium Protect, and InLife Premium Protect Plus—all available at the InLife Lazada Store), or any individual insurance plans with hospitalization riders may avail of its daily cash benefit feature in case of confinement due to COVID-19,” Aguas said.ABS-CBN stars Angel Locsin and Coco Martin are also calling on the public for donations. Last December, Locsin was named among Forbes Asia’s “Heroes of Philanthropy” for her charitable deeds.