Typhoon Yolanda Relief Efforts

The month of November was a difficult time for the Philippines. Super typhoon “Yolanda” (international code name: “Haiyan”), with maximum gale force winds and strong torrential rains, devastated an already ravaged Visayas region that was recovering from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that occurred a month before. Tacloban was the area that sustained the most damage from what pundits have called “the strongest storm on record”. PhilWeb, along with many other Philippine companies, actively participated in relief efforts, beginning by using its budget for the traditionaL year-end Christmas party to purchase much needed medicine and medical equipment and donating these to survivors in Central Visayas through Operation Blessing.

Donations, in cash and kind (mostly food, drinking water, clothes and toiletries), were given freely. Employees raised money to purchase more medicine that was donated to survivors. Personal time was also set aside by employees to help sort, repack and move relief goods at the Alphaland-Balesin Island Club Hangar. The response was a success as everyone in PhilWeb did their own small part in helping ensure smooth and quick distribution of goods in hard-to-reach areas in Aklan, Capiz, Cebu, Leyte, Palawan and Samar. Together with the Alphaland Relief Operations Team, the PhilWeb Foundation was able to disburse 62 tons of relief goods to over 15,000 people affected by the typhoon.