There is still a week before Christmas. The damage caused by the super typhoon “Odette” has razed most of the central and southern parts of the Philippines, putting six regions in a state of disaster: Mimaropa and Western Visayas. , Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga. However, the internal traffic in the disaster-stricken area is not smooth, and the roads between the towns are blocked, and the distribution of emergency relief materials is facing huge challenges. This has prompted business and non-governmental organization leaders to call and call for cooperation to get the community back on its feet and develop strategic responses to future disasters.
brother. Henry Yunez, the national chief executive of the Philippine Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, a humanitarian organization, welcomed “the opportunity to connect with these groups.” Speaking of the beliefs on which their group was founded, he added that they welcome volunteers and resources from all fields because “what we do has nothing to do with religion.”
Since the weather turned fine and volunteers and rescue teams were able to enter the disaster-stricken area, Tzu Chi visited 9 cities in Bohol and 15 cities in the southern part of Wright Island. They sent gallons of water and medicines to these provinces, while looking for more generators that could help pump water. It is planned to distribute rice to approximately 20,000 households shortly after December 26.
Technology and transparency
In 2013, the Philippines was hit by Yolanda, one of the strongest typhoons in history. Tzu Chi’s response to rescue operations was considered by civil society and the government to be one of the most influential operations.
Digital Pilipinas convener Amor Maclang said that in addition to collecting and transporting relief supplies for Odette victims, “heavy equipment and construction” also need help. More “participatory and transparent” cooperation between partners can use fast-developing technologies such as financial technology, e-commerce, and logistics to “transfer funds faster” to recipients who need funds most. McLang said that Digital Pilipinas is a movement that uses technology to respond to business and social challenges. It helped the Tzu Chi Foundation “make technological transformations to their organization even before Odette.” “The most important thing is that we can use technology to show the transparency of the flow of funds.”
The Tzu Chi Foundation of the Philippines and Digital Philippines recently held the “Typhoon Odette Rescue Briefing and Response Plan” meeting. Industry leaders from the real estate, logistics, construction, financial services, payment and retail sectors attended the meeting. It encourages’Bayanihan‘And take the whole nation and the whole society to solve the situation in the disaster-stricken area of Ojiet.
Cherrie Rose Ang, a senior administrative officer of the Tzu Chi Administration and Volunteer Affairs Department, admitted that “the meeting is not only for understanding, but also for support, cooperation and unity.” A few days after Odette’s nine landings in Visayas and Mindanao, the Filipino Find yourself in a temporary shelter or evacuation center. Ang described the situation reported by their volunteers: “Children are going to the streets begging for help. People desperately want to rescue whatever they can get from the destroyed house.”
The various companies represented in the webinar are already helping with rescue efforts. Gladys Pascual, Head of Strategy and Transformation at Etiqa, stated that their EtiqaCares program is supporting rehabilitation programs. Kim Lato, the founder of Kimstore, is opening up their platform and cooperating with Tzu Chi Foundation to initiate fundraising activities. At the same time, Coins.PH CEO Nauman Mustafa shared: “We will donate instead of buying Christmas gifts for our partners.”
Even those who were hit by Typhoon Odette are organizing rescue operations themselves. Roy Miclat, president of 1 Cooperative Insurance System in the Philippines, said that his team “serves in remote areas, even though hundreds of our members have been affected by Odette.”
Long-term solution
At the same time, in response to concerns about the restoration of communications and Internet connectivity, Globe Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Yoly Crisostomo stated that the telecom giant “is doing everything we can to ensure that all provinces attacked by Odette are back online and online. Reconnect.” She also pointed out that the growing threat of climate change will only stimulate more and stronger typhoons, especially for vulnerable countries such as the Philippines. She said: “The challenge of our time is that next time we face the same situation, what must we do to get better.”
Mikrat agreed that forward-looking activities “should not be focused on one-off activities, such as donation activities.”
One solution is a collaboration between Coins.ph’s Mustafa and Donna May Lina, director and executive board of OneLGC Lina Group of Companies. Both companies will tokenize tree planting activities to better encourage Filipinos to participate in environmental restoration. With the expertise of the Lina organization in disaster preparedness, they hope to recruit more people so that they can be better equipped for the next disaster.
Marco Santos, representing Mapua University and Yuchengco Group, said that the country can prepare the knowledge for future architects, engineers and other professionals to create resilient structures that can withstand disasters. He described it as “training people who are ready for work. We train good engineers. Our first patent is called Project Usher, which allows us to monitor buildings during earthquakes.”
Technology not only corresponds to the actions of Typhoon Odette, but is also vital to the future. “We can coordinate all our teams to connect technology to our system,” said Georgia Martelino, head of Microsoft’s philanthropist in the Philippines. “Let us pool our resources and mark it as a Tzu Chi platform so that people can access it for free. We can start with digital literacy.”
With its global network of volunteers and employees, the Tzu Chi Foundation of the Philippines is helping the areas affected by Typhoon Odette with rehabilitation, recovery, economic and educational recovery. They allow the community to participate in various activities, which is also a way to provide them with a temporary source of income.
“With love in our hearts, there is nothing we can’t overcome. We can unite and build again,” said Andong Lin, the Islamic Conference Organization of Tzu Chi’s Zamboanga Liaison Office.
Maclang confirmed that the collaboration will continue because it is not only “about Odette, but also about humanity.” As the situation develops, Tzu Chi, Digital Pilipinas and other companies plan to hold more meetings and develop more action plans.
The Tzu Chi Foundation of the Philippines is open to accept donations and can be sent in the following ways: Account name: Tzu Chi Foundation of the Philippines; BDO account number: 011978001800; Metrobank account number: 163-3-16307190-9.Send a soft copy of the deposit slip to Donate @tzuchi.org.ph Or via Viber/Line/WeChat: +639672110940.
