Despite logistical limitations caused by the lockdowns and quarantines, BDO Foundation continued to provide aid for communities affected by natural disasters and the novel coronavirus pandemic. The corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank brought relief goods to evacuees displaced by the Taal Volcano eruptions and hygiene kits to frontliners and patients grappling with the effects of COVID-19.
In response to Taal’s unrest, the foundation distributed relief packs containing food, rice and drinking water to more than 700 underserved families in the Municipality of Agoncillo and the City of Tanauan in Batangas. The relief operations were backed by the City Social Welfare and Development Office. Beneficiaries included senior citizens, fishers and tricycle drivers.
Considered one of the most active in the country, Taal Volcano emitted kilometer-high plumes of gas and ash, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to raise Alert Level 3. High-risk communities were evacuated due to the threat of succeeding eruptions and earthquakes.
As part of its continuing COVID-19 response programs, BDO Foundation also donated hygiene kits to 440 barangay health workers and patients confined in various quarantine facilities in Capiz. The donation, which reached a total of 17 municipalities, was aimed at helping beneficiaries cope with the pandemic amid the spread of the Delta variant.
The corporate citizenship initiatives in the aforementioned provinces were made possible with the assistance of BDO branches, which continually support the foundation’s disaster response advocacy. BDO Batangas-Sto. Tomas branch head Lux Sandra Trinidad, BDO Batangas-Lemery Ilustre branch head Nancy Calderon and BDO Roxas-Pueblo de Panay branch head Jojie Aga-in helped identify communities that needed assistance and coordinate the distribution of relief goods and hygiene kits.
In the spirit of bayanihan, volunteers from BDO and BDO Network Bank branches conduct relief operations all over the country as part of efforts organized by BDO Foundation. As a follow-up to the relief efforts, the foundation undertakes long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction programs in disaster-stricken provinces.