J&T Express Philippines has spent over P10 million this year for its CSR efforts that include free mobilization for frontliners under the ‘Bayanihan' initiative to help win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the provision of relief goods to typhoon-hit areas in Bicol, Catanduanes, Isabela and Cagayan Valley.
“The spirit of bayanihan is at the core of our business. Logistics firms can only ever be successful when their clients are doing well, and now we seek to take that idea a little further by helping the nation recover as fast as it can so we can all enjoy a prosperous future together,” said J&T Vice President Zoe Chi.
Close to three million Filipinos were affected by the series of typhoons that battered the country, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, many of whom continue to be stranded in evacuation centers.
“When the typhoon hit, we saw an opportunity to use our existing e-logistics network, because there is no Filipino who is too far or too hard-to-reach to be extended help,” said Chi.
“At J&T, we believe that if you have the means, then it’s only right that you do what you can to help,” she added.
Over 8 tons of rice, almost 9,000 liters of bottled water, and around 4,000 food packs were distributed over the past few weeks throughout Luzon to boost the recovery response for Typhoon Ulysses.
In partnership with the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation, the Philippine Red Cross, various local governments, and the 901st Coast Guard Auxiliary Squadron of Albay, J&T’s relief efforts were able to reach the typhoon victims.
J&T has also been running its Certified Lokalista Campaign, an initiative that seeks to promote the purchase of regional products from Filipino small-to-medium-sized enterprises.
The campaign, which began on Oct. 16, 2020 and will run up to January 14, 2021, encourages people to buy local and to patronize and SMEs in a bid to promote regional products to a larger national audience.
“Filipino entrepreneurs, especially those who went above and beyond amid the mobility restrictions brought about by the pandemic, deserve to be supported and recognized for their creativity and tenacity,” said Chi.