LOPEZ-LED companies have been extending their help in various relief operations to aid those affected by the Luzon-wide lockdown.
First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH) donated P100 million to the fund-raising campaign of sister company ABS-CBN Corp. to deliver food and other necessities to poor residents stuck at home amid the COVID-19 (new coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
In a statement on Monday, the Lopez’s holding firm of renewable energy, real estate, and construction estates said the initiative can be further expanded to other parts of the country.
“Personnel of FPH subsidiaries in the provinces are ready to coordinate with LGUs (local government units) in the provinces so the FPH subsidiaries can help poor families living both in host and nearby communities affected also by the virus,” its statement read.
ABS-CBN Corp. launched its “Pantawid ng Pag-ibig” campaign on Thursday night, assisting the COVID-19 relief efforts of LGUs around Metro Manila.
In an e-mail to BusinessWorld, FPH Vice-President and Head of Corporate Communications Ramon A. Carandang said some of their units were undertaking small initiatives to help distressed families affected by the lockdown.
For example, employees of Energy Development Corp. (EDC), a unit of FPH’s First Gen Corp., have launched donation drives across its project sites in the country to help frontline health workers and to assist local government units in its relief operations.
EDC Corporate Social Responsibility Head Allan V. Barcena told BusinessWorld in a separate text message that it has also provided food assistance to personnel in checkpoints around Kananga and Ormoc City in Leyte, Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, and Kidapawan City in North Cotabato.
“We are likewise helping our employees cope with COVID-19,” Mr. Carandang also noted.
“For instance, our people are working from home as much as possible. We likewise released early last week [the] 14th month pay, while all contractual workers remain on the payroll despite the work stoppage caused by the enhanced community quarantine,” he added. — Adam J. Ang
