Conglomerate First Philippine Holdings Corp. of the Lopez Group has pledged P100 million to support poor families whose work and means of livelihood are affected by measures to contain the 2019 corona virus disease (COVID-19).
FPH said in a statement Monday the P100-million is a seed fund allowing the immediate launch of sister company ABS-CBN Corp.’s “Pantawid ng Pagibig” project, a campaign coordinated with local government units to provide indigents with food and other necessities in the midst of an enhanced community quarantine.
ABS-CBN’s Pantawid ng Pagibig project is raising money from private companies and individual funds, which the network is using to buy food items and other essentials for repacking and distribution to families and households in poor communities, whose residents are affected by quarantine restrictions.
FPH saw the need to help after monitoring reports about workers and small traders who worried about where to get money for their next meal following the implementation of enhanced community quarantine that cut them off from their work and means of livelihood.
“FPH sees the ABS-CBN Pantawid campaign as a template, which can be replicated in other parts of the country where indigents are likewise unable to work or get needs due to quarantine restrictions to their movement,” the company said.
Under the Pantawid campaign, ABS-CBN coordinates with the local government units in distributing the food packages.
By bringing food bags to the affected households, Pantawid at the same time helps stop the spread of Covid-19 because it encourages the indigents to stay home. These families need not go to their barangay centers or to ABS-CBN to get their needs.
FPH has subsidiaries with operations in other parts of the country. These include First Gen Corp., the country’s largest clean and renewable energy producer, whose power plants are operating in the provinces. ABS-CBN also has its own broadcast stations in the provinces.
The company said personnel of FPH subsidiaries in the provinces were ready to coordinate with LGUs in the provinces so the FPH subsidiaries can help poor families living both in host and nearby communities also affected by the virus.
