Aboitiz donates P100M to ‘Project Ugnayan’ to aid urban poor families
The Aboitiz Group has donated P100 million to Project Ugnayan, a collaboration among local companies, as part of the group’s sustained efforts in assisting communities affected by the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The P100-million donation is part of the P1.5 billion Project Ugnayan raised in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) to purchase P1,000 gift certificates for around one million poor families in Greater Manila.
Project Ugnayan is part of PDRF’s ongoing initiatives to help poor families who were economically displaced by the ongoing Luzon enhanced community quarantine.
The Aboitiz Group is a PDRF member.
“The Aboitiz Group believes that in these challenging times, we must be able to express our compassion and concern by addressing the pressing needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters. With this donation, we hope to be able to help them comfortably sustain their day-to-day living until this crisis is over,” said Sabin M. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Group President and Chief Executive Officer, said.
“We will also continue to support the government, especially the healthcare frontliners – now more than ever that they need masks and supplies,” Aboitiz added.
These gift certificates will then be distributed in partnership with Project Damayan, the community well-being and disaster management program of Caritas Manila, the Catholic Church’s lead social service and development ministry.
“We are grateful for the support of the business community and hope that this initiative will inspire more acts of kindness in this time of crisis. Many others have expressed a desire to help as well later this week, and we encourage them to do so swiftly given the urgency of the situation. Now is the time for our communities to help as one,” said Fr. Anton C. Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila in a statement issued earlier.
Aside from Aboitiz, other Project Ugnayan supporters include ABS-CBN/Lopez Group, Alliance Global/Megaworld, AY Foundation and RCBC, Ayala Corporation, Century Pacific, Concepcion Industrial Corp, DMCI, Gokongwei Group of Companies/Robinsons Retail Holdings, ICTSI, Jollibee, Leonio Group, Mercury Drug, Metrobank/GT Capital, Nutri-Asia, Oishi/Liwayway Marketing Group, PDRF, PLDT/Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Puregold, San Miguel, SM/BDO, Sunlife of Canada, Suyen, and Unilab.
Aboitiz aid to stakeholders
To date, the Aboitiz Group has donated P18 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical and sanitation equipment to various hospitals, partner government agencies, and the military.
Through the Aboitiz Foundation, the Aboitiz Group has already turned over 35,000 items such as bread, rice, water, food packs, hygiene kits, surgical gloves, infrared thermometers, alcohol, folding beds, nitrate and latex gloves, N95 masks, nebulizers, laboratory and disposable goggles, PPE gowns, and tents to various hospitals, local government units and government checkpoints nationwide, benefiting 70 institutions and nearly 67,000 individuals.
