Residents of Barangay Apas receive relief packs.
To aid in the severe Cebu water shortage following Typhoon Odette’s aftermath, Ayala Land (ALI) has been donating truckloads of water every day to barangays in urgent need.
The initiative is part of the company’s Alagang AyalaLand (AAL) program, and targets Cebu communities who are still cut off from the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) supply. Ayala Land has been assisting barangays Apas and Luz, and began first deliveries to Luz on Dec. 25 and to Apas on Dec. 28. The group aims to continue these efforts until the end of the year or until the areas’ regular water supply resumes.
As the delivery of these urgent supplies are underway, Ayala Land is simultaneously providing support to MCWD facilities connected to Cebu Business Park to expedite the reboot of the area’s water supply. A deepwell in Cebu I.T. Park is also currently servicing a portion of Barangay Apas.
Along with aid on water supply, Alagang AyalaLand provided relief packs to Barangay Luz on Christmas Day, with more communities targeted for goods distribution. Moreover, Ayala Center Cebu and Ayala Malls Central Bloc have reopened essential stores like groceries, banks, hardware stores and pharmacies, along with allocating charging stations within the malls.
Alagang AyalaLand’s relief pack distributions have been underway and are on track to be completed before the end of the year. A total of 2,800 packs are being distributed to barangays Apas, Lahug, Mabolo, Luz, Kamputhaw, Hippodromo and Carreta. This is in addition to relief goods that were distributed at the onset of the typhoon to Cagayan De Oro and Negros Occidental communities. To widen the reach of its relief efforts, Ayala Land Inc. is also part of Brigadang Ayala which has been working to extend assistance to other areas that were hit by Typhoon Odette the hardest.
“Many communities in Visayas and Mindanao have been struggling since the typhoon hit and essential services were disrupted, so our immediate goal is to harness available resources from our developments and mobilize our teams to address the most important needs of our neighboring communities,” said Ayala Malls president Christopher Maglanoc.
Typhoon Odette made landfall in Cebu province on Dec. 16, bringing winds of over 200 kph. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report as of Dec. 29, the aftermath left at least 56,000 individuals displaced and 42,000 houses damaged in Central Visayas alone. With power and communication lines heavily damaged and access routes impeded, residents of the area have been in dire need of essentials.
In the face of natural calamities, Alagang AyalaLand is dedicated to aiding affected Filipinos through ALI-wide disaster relief operations. The community engagement program also aims to uplift communities wthrough livelihood generation and socially-conscious sustainability efforts.