As part of the Ayala group’s commitment to serving families severely affected by the April 22 earthquake, Ayala Foundation partnered with various organizations to provide some of the immediate needs of Aeta families living in barangay Nabuclod, Floridablanca, Pampanga.
At least 800 Aeta families in the Nabuclod Upland Resettlement Site and adjoining areas received sleeping mats and drinking water during the visit held on April 26. Among them are the Apangs, two extended families living in one makeshift shelter who said losing their homes in the uplands also meant losing their livelihood in fear of aftershocks. Most of the Aetas in Nabuclod plant root crops and vegetables just around their mountain abodes.
Ayala Foundation was joined at the relief operations by Manila Water Foundation and Clark Water, the internationally renowned performer Apl.de.Ap and the Apl.de.Ap Foundation, the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, the Provincial Government of Pampanga, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Pampanga, and the Philippine Air Force stationed at the Cesar Basa Air Base.
“Immediately after the earthquake, the Ayala group mobilized its resources to provide relief for affected families, including the initial delivery of construction materials to help rebuild the homes of at least 1,000 families from Porac and surrounding communities,” said Ayala Corporation Chairman and Ayala Foundation Co-Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.
Aside from helping rebuild shelters, Ayala is also working closely with Pampanga communities and officials in identifying other needs, particularly in the area of reconstruction and rehabilitation.
