BACOLOD CITY – Shell Pilipinas Corporation, in collaboration with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), recently distributed hygiene kits to the affected families from the Kanlaon Eruption in Negros Occidental last June.
PDRF and Shell volunteers handed over 500 hygiene kits to Bago City, La Castella City, and La Carlota—the hardest-hit cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental.
PDRF procured the kits from micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to support and promote local businesses.
A local grocery store, KJ Fairmart, supplied the response and even offered help along with Shell.
“On our part, our bosses wanted to help local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs). For example, they are offering free use of trucks, [and] free deliveries to those who ordered from us as our way of helping the [communities] affected by the disasters,” said store operations assistant Emafe Velano.
Each kit meets the humanitarian standard for hygiene kits, which addresses the hygiene challenges faced during a disaster.
After receiving the aid, Donna Hidalgo, an evacuee in La Castellana, expressed her appreciation for Shell, “We are very thankful because this is a big help to us, [farming is our only source of living] and now that Kanlaon erupted, we have no income. So, this aid from Shell is a big help for us and the kids here [in the evacuation center] because we don’t have anything with us, just our clothes.”
“For personal use, it’s a huge help to us, especially financially and because we can’t go out and buy things like this.” said Marize Mendoza, an evacuee from La Castellana.
“Earlier, while I was giving kits, it was heartwarming for them [beneficiaries] that they were served, given attention, and they were not ignored. That means our government and the private sector are not neglecting them,” said Shell Terminal Supervisor JC Magno.
As one of PDRF’s Member Companies, Shell has been its strong partner, especially during disaster response.
“Shell’s relief effort in Kanlaon demonstrates what the private sector can do in difficult situations. PDRF is pleased to have been part of the initiative,” said PDRF President Butch Meily.
