PRIVATE sector initiatives help the government take care of the communities and people who are presently affected by the coronavirus scourge.
SM Foundation in partnership with Uniqlo Philippines that operates Japanese brand apparel shops have jointly reached out since the start of the community quarantine.
In Bacolod, cooks and helpers of the Manokan Country stall owners who were affected by Covid-19 as their eateries have been closed for several weeks, got food packs containing rice, noodles, canned goods and shelf-safe food packs, and a supply of distilled water.
"We are also hardest hit because aside from our own daily income, we also have employees and helpers who rely on our stores for their daily income," said Melanie Montoya, president of the Manokan Country Vendors Association.
Across the country, the SM Foundation and Uniqlo partnership likewise reached out to thousands of families in the vicinity of SM malls.
These beneficiaries are ordinary Filipinos who make a living on a no work, no pay scheme such as vendors, helpers, pedicab or jeepney drivers, and other similar employment.
In other efforts to fight Covid-19, the SM group of companies has delivered close to P200 million worth of support nationwide to hospitals and frontline services, like personal protective equipment, supplies, medicines and test funding. The group has also extended economic support by waiving tenants' rental fees and giving monetary assistance to employees of the support agencies who provide security and janitorial services at all SM properties.
They also brought smiles to residents of SM Cares Villages when they distributed food packs to almost 900 families in Bogo City, in Cebu province, Concepcion in IloIlo, Ormoc City, and in Tacloban City.
Like us, many of them are homebound by the enhanced community quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and they were happy to receive kilos of rice, cup noodles, cans of sardines and tuna, and bottles of distilled water.
The benefactors also responded to the needs of almost 900 beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village who are unable to continue their livelihood brought about by the enhanced community quarantine by the local government units due to Covid-19 pandemic.
"Thank you SM Foundation and Uniqlo for bringing these relief packs to our place," said Neralyn Montejo, one of the beneficiaries of the SM Cares Village in Bogo City, Cebu. "Thank you for not abandoning us during this time of crisis."
It will be recalled that SM Cares Villages were built to help survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 rebuild their lives. It is a joint undertaking of SM and its service providers, tenants, business partners, employees, and communities.
The disaster-resilient houses were given to the beneficiaries for free, with SM working with several NGO partners for its community development, including livelihood and values-formation activities.
Each village has utilities, basic amenities like street lights, as well as a community center, and a basketball court. There are also chapels and convenience stores for its residents.
Aside from the houses, the SM Cares Village also has amenities such as street lamps, sewage treatment plants, materials recovery facilities, rain-catchment systems and provisions for water and electricity.