Demonstrating its ‘Heart of Service’ in the spirit of the holiday season, premiere telecommunications company Eastern Communications provided about half a million pesos worth of support to the disaster-stricken provinces of Panay, Baguio, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Kalinga, and Quezon, as they continue their recovery efforts for typhoon-affected families and individuals.
As the year comes to an end, Eastern Communications continues to extend its support to said provinces with the hopes of aiding the communities’ recovery and mitigating risks for similar events in the future. In cooperation with the local government authorities of Aklan and Baguio, the company’s pledge will be distributed to the most vulnerable victims and communities according to their needs.
The province of Aklan in Panay was previously placed under a state of calamity due to over P100 million worth of damages to agriculture and infrastructure brought upon by typhoon Paeng, followed by tropical storm Queenie. Eastern Communications formally handed over the recovery funds to Aklan Provincial Administrator Atty. Selwyn Ibarreta, on behalf of Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores, for another relief operation in severely affected areas.
Another batch of financial aid was donated to the Baguio City government in coordination with Mayor Benjamin Magalong supporting the local government’s mission of city-wide rehabilitation. The funds will be used to help further the local government’s goals to improve the lives of afflicted citizens. Including Baguio City, about 2,400 families from 46 barangays spread across 15 municipalities and five provinces in the Cordillera region suffered the wrath of Paeng, based on an initial report by the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Cordillera.
“As we move forward in our mission to help build a nation, we strongly support our local government leaders in their quest to uphold good governance, accountability, and integrity. We work together as one to encourage the active participation of the private sector to ensure that the vulnerable communities are heard and supported,” said Eastern Communications Co-Coordinator Vincent L. Tempongko.
“Eastern Communications is a company that stands together with the Filipino people, through both their ups and downs. Through this initiative, we want to give hope this Christmas season and provide for the necessities of our countrymen. We also wish to let our beneficiaries know that they are not alone in this time of struggle,” said Eastern Communications Co-Coordinator Atty. Aileen Regio.
Eastern Communications likewise imparted its sense of ‘bayanihan’ among its employees assisting farmers and families affected by Typhoon Paeng. Eastern’s people, fondly called “Ka-Eastern,” initiated a fundraising activity of their own.
The employee-initiated effort collected a total of P261,800 and went into supporting disaster-risk efforts of non-government organizations such as the Philippine Red Cross and For Our Farmers PH, Inc. “Project Sagip.”
In partnership with the Philippine Red Cross, half of the fund was distributed to the most affected families of farmers and fishermen, as well as communities displaced by the landslides and flooding in Panay Island, Kalinga, and Quezon Province.
“We are happy that Eastern Communications shares Red Cross’s compassion for people who have been affected by disasters. We hope that many more businesses will support the Red Cross’s mission of alleviating human suffering and uplifting human dignity,” said Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Dr. Gwendolyn T. Pang.
Project Sagip, on the other hand, is a relief-based initiative by For Our Farmers PH, Inc. (FOF PH), a grass-root nonprofit organization, that aims to help victims of natural calamities, particularly farmers in the agricultural sector. Relief assistance in the form of essential goods and crop subsidies was distributed by FOF PH to a total of 120 farmers from Bacoor, Cavite and San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.
“We’re beyond proud of our Ka-Eastern employees for upholding our commitment and becoming living advocates of this value. These pledges will go a long way, and we hope this could aid in the livelihood of the victims and eventually help them emerge from this year’s challenges,” Eastern Communications Head of Human Resources Anilene Cometa expressed.
These initiatives are a continuation of the telco’s initial disaster assistance efforts from the start of 2022, where it provided over half a million-peso worth of support for the Typhoon Odette victims through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Operation Blessing.
To learn more about Eastern Communications and its services, visit eastern.com.ph. Stay tuned as it unveils its new website soon.
