MPIC aid to help fight Covid-19 hits P348 Million

Infra conglomerate shows compassion via “Tulong-Kapatid” 

Makati, Philippines, 26th May 2020 - Donations of key anti-Covid 19 goods and initiatives, namely, food, water, medicines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) and its subsidiaries, reached P348 million this week. 

“Over the last few weeks, the group has been seeking out the more vulnerable sectors who are experiencing the highest degree of socio-economic marginalization,” said Melody del Rosario, president of Metro Pacific Investment Foundation (MPIF), the infrastructure conglomerate’s corpo-rate social responsibility arm. 

“These segments include persons with disabilities, informal settlers, senior citizens, pregnant and lactating mothers, and the indigenous minorities amidst the COVID-19 crisis,” she noted.

Targeting families not reached by gov’t

MPIC’s relief efforts have been targeting families across marginalized communities, particularly those who are not covered among the recipients of the government’s social amelioration packages.

Since the start of the nationwide lockdown last March 15, corporate foundations of the group have banded together  to provide PPEs for frontliners, set up quarantine facilities, hand out food, medi-cines and other aid to poor families, even as their own operations were severely affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). 

MVP group reaches out 

Tulong Kapatid, the corporate social responsibility alliance of foundations and companies under the MVP Group of Companies is extending aid to augment the government’s initiatives. 

Metro Pacific Investments Foundation (MPIF) teamed up with One Meralco Foundation, Alagang Kapatid Foundation Inc., Maynilad Water, MetroPac Movers Inc., and PLDT-Smart Foundation to distribute thousands of relief packages containing rice, noodles, canned goods, bread, milk, coffee, and hygiene packs to help underprivileged families cope with the extended ECQ.  Consumer com-panies such as Unilever Philippines, Nutriline Inc., Kopiko, and Sari Roti have contributed their products as part of the relief goods.

MPIF distributed relief packs to over 4,000 families in Brgy. Bagbag, Novaliches, Quezon City, San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in Culliat Quezon City, Catmon, Malabon, San Jose Manggagawa Parish in Marikina; Old Balara, Sitio Barimbao, Barangay Tandang Sora, Barangay Payatas, all in Quezon City, San Pedro, Laguna, Interior Ilaya, Alabang, and Zambales. 

The group also responded to families stricken by fire in Happy Land, Tondo, Manila and Brgy. Tonsuya Malabon by providing relief goods and sleeping kits containing mats and blankets. 500 relief packs, 300 faceshields, and 600 bottles of water were donated by the group to 300 waste management teams in Quezon City. MPIC also donated 1,000 sacks of rice and 1,000 grocery packs to the province of Cavite, through Gov. Jonvic Remulla. 

The MPIC group has likewise been directing relief programs towards persons with disabilities and senior citizens in Payatas, informal settlers in the Bagbag Cemetery and other areas, and the indi-genous community of Aetas in Zambales, prioritizing senior citizens and pregnant/breastfeeding moms.

Livelihood projects, quarantine facilities being set up

Aside from Tulong Kapatid initiatives, companies under MPIC have increased their efforts to aid various beneficiaries amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) has implemented livelihood projects with 18 fisherfolk organizations in Cordova through making motorized fishing boats. They have likewise provided livelihood projects such as Bigasan ng Bayan, Honda Mega Marine Engine, and 7.5 Robin Marine Engine to eight organizations in Cebu City. 

MPTC donated 350 beds to the Department of Public Works and Highways to support the “Heal As One” quarantine facilities in the Philippine Convention Center (PICC) and is still implementing free toll fees to medical frontliners.

MPTC, MPIF, and One Meralco Foundation (OMF) continuously provide PPEs to medical frontlin-ers in hospitals and medical institutions within Metro Manila and surrounding provinces. MPIF pro-vided 1,000 PPE kits to over hospitals, quarantine facilities, and local government units in the Min-danao region. 

OMF also mobilized its ‘From Farmers to the Frontliners’ initiative, sourcing fresh vegetables from Cordillera farmers to provide frontliners in Metro Manila COVID-19 referral hospitals with healthy nourishment. MPIF carried out a similar program, sourcing 8,000 kgs of fresh vegetables from local farmers’ cooperatives to include in relief packs for marginalized communities.

Maynilad incessantly provides water sources for drinking, decontamination, and sanitizing, among others, to several LGUs, hospitals and medical institutions, and government offices. 

Global Business Power (GBP) has facilitated the immediate remittance of P15.32M to the Iloilo City government, representing the Energy Regulations 1-94 (ER 1-94) fund share of Iloilo City from the electricity sales of GBP's subsidiaries, Panay Energy Development Corporation and Panay Power Corporation. Likewise, they supported their host community, Brgy. Ingore in La Paz Iloilo City, through facilitating the release of its ER 1-94 fund share amounting to P10.94M.

These funds will be utilized for COVID-19 response to help local government units in their fight against the pandemic, in accordance with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act. Projects include access to protective personal equipment (PPEs) for frontliners, essentials and mass testing.

The ER 1-94 program stipulates that host communities are entitled to financial benefits of one-centavo for every kilowatt-hour (p0.01/kWh) of the total electricity sales of generating companies to finance electrification, livelihood and development projects.

GBP has also donated P1M to the local government of Cebu Province to help with their countryside development, the province’s primary focus as it transitioned to General Community Quarantine starting May 16. 

Amidst the pandemic, Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, its subsidiaries, and Tulong Kapatid remains steadfast in their goal to provide hope to Filipinos through encouraging everyone who is able to provide ‘Tulong, Kapatid’.