SMC FOOD ASSISTANCE TO POOR COMMUNITIES REACHES P181-M, DELIVERS OVER 100K LITERS OF RUBBING ALCOHOL TO FRONT LINERS

SAN Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) ongoing donation of food to communities in Metro Manila and Luzon provinces affected by the community quarantine reached P181 million, after just two weeks of operations.

The donations, which consist of assorted food products such as canned goods, meat products, biscuits and breads, coffee, and dairy milk, benefits an estimated 520,000 families.

The donations do not yet include the 500,000 kilos of rice that San Miguel recently sourced to donate to poor communities throughout Metro Manila.

“In our second week of operations, we are glad to report that we are reaching more areas outside of Metro Manila,” said SMC president Ramon S. Ang.

“Initially, we could only reach nearby cities. But through our coordination and partnership with various government agencies, LGUs, non-profit organizations and Church-based groups, we are reaching more and more families who really need help at this critical time. Rest assured we will continue this program and we will work towards getting food to even more areas,” he added.

The food donation drive, Ang said, is meant to help ensure that vulnerable families would have enough food throughout the community quarantine, which government put in place to help stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

“Right now, the most important thing is for our people to support and follow the guidelines of the quarantine issued by President Duterte. We all have an important part to play. For many of us, it’s to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel. Our doctors are working hard, our government is also doing what is necessary, and we in the private sector are also ready to support them and lend a hand,” he added.

Apart from Metro Manila, other recipients of SMC’s food donations include Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Lucena, Bicol; Bulacan, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Tuguegarao, Quirino, Zambales, among many others.

Food donations were also channeled through the Department of Health and other government agencies as well as non-government organizations, including the Philippine Red Cross.

Apart from donating food, SMC has also donated, to date, a total of 112,740 liters of free alcohol to about 141 hospitals and 168 local government units, government agencies, and the Philippine National Police.

Recently, the company said it activated all facilities of its subsidiary, Ginebra San Miguel Inc. nationwide to produce up to 100,000 liters of rubbing alcohol per day, to benefit more Filipinos.

SMC also announced a P500 million fund to purchase personal protective equipment (PPEs) for medical front-liners, to help in their everyday battle in hospitals against the Covid-19 virus.

The company said it is tapping its global network of suppliers for the effort and is also reaching out to local suppliers, regardless of size, in order to get PPEs to front-liners at the soonest possible time