Team Members Initiate a Wall of Hope for Super Typhoon Yolanda Survivors

Online media release

Team members at the Aboitiz Group’s Manila Headquarters have decided to send more than relief goods to survivors of super typhoon Yolanda. They have set up a “Wall of Hope” to encourage and inspire the survivors who are still trying to recover and start anew.

Beginning last November 13, everyone who goes to the cafeteria is greeted by a wall filled with colorful envelopes where they could insert a note of hope and encouragement for a typhoon survivor.  Each time the wall is filled up with notes, the envelopes are gathered and sent to the command center in Cebu, where they are inserted inside relief packs that are distributed to the survivors.  A looped video beside the wall also shows photos of the destruction in Northern Cebu and Leyte , as well as ways that team members can help- whether by donating in cash or in kind, or by volunteering.

“Pinadapa man tayo ng pagsubok, kakayanin pa rin natin tumayo,” reads one note. “Just want to tell you that whatever happens there are people who care for you,” reads another. Others who speak Bisaya or Waray, prefer to send their message of love and hope in their native dialect. One note from a team member who hails from Leyte, wrote the following in Bisaya:  “To my fellow Leyteno, I know the feeling of pain you are experiencing right now. Let us lift each other from this and may God bless us”. Others have even shared their artistic ability, drawing inspiring sketches along with their message of hope.

“We are truly very encouraged with the response,” said Gloidan Papas, who along with fellow Aboitiz team member MJ Sendana, conceptualized the Wall of Hope.  “Some people were actually teary eyed when we were sharing the concept with them,”she added.

To date 101 messages have already been sent through courier service to the command center in Cebu, to be slipped into relief packs.  But they are planning to make the rounds of the various offices in the building to collect more messages, given the thousands of relief packs that are sent out daily. Team members are also encouraged to send several messages.

But more messages of hope are expected to be collected in the coming days as other business units are replicating the Wall of Hope.  Food Unit Pilmico has set up its own version in its Tarlac, Iligan and Cebu offices. Their Wall of Hope is actually a tarpaulin that Pilmicans can write on. Once full, the tarp will be posted on the relief delivery trucks and in distribution centers for the survivors to read. The Aboitiz Group’s Cebu office also intends to come out with its own version.  “We hope that through this simple gesture, we could somewhat uplift the survivors’ spirit,” Papas added.

Outside of the Aboitiz Group, other sectors have also been coming out with their own messages of hope.  A group of grade school children for instance, came out with their own love letters, while others write their messages on the relief packs or even on the canned good itself- anything to let the survivors know that they are not alone.

Aboitiz Group mobilizes business units to help out Visayas

Release material

The Aboitiz Group, through its corporate social development arm Aboitiz Foundation,  has pooled  its manpower and monetary resources to help get Visayas back on its feet.

The 100 year old company traces its roots in the Visayas and continues to have several businesses in the region such as AboitizLand, Inc., construction firm Metaphil, CitySavings Bank, Pilmico Foods Corp., shipbuilder Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, Inc., and Visayan Electric Company (VECO).

“The Aboitiz Group is fully committed in seeing the Visayas rise from this calamity.  This is after all home to us and majority of our team members hail from the Visayas. It is where our roots and our heart lies,” said Aboitiz Foundation Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sonny Carpio.

The conglomerate has dispatched teams to attend to the needs of thousands of evacuees and has established a command post in Tubigon , with Mater Dei College. Relief goods will be distributed to four major focus areas around Loon, Maribojoc, Tubigon, and Carmen, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located.

The Foundation has earmarked an initial Php2 million, which includes a Php1 million donation from actress Sharon Cuneta, for the mobilization of the relief operations in Bohol.

AboitizLand, CitySavings, and Pilmico. are pooling donations and sending volunteers to support the relief operations. The foundation is also closely coordinating with various local government units, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine National Police.

Meanwhile, in Cebu, VECO has expanded efforts to speedily restore power in affected areas. Team members also volunteered to set up an auxiliary call center to handle emergency calls round the clock.

“Our priority is always the continuity of service to the customers,” said VECO Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Lacson.

How you can help:

Please send cash donations to the Aboitiz Foundation through the following: 

·        Aboitiz Foundation’s UShare portal http://ushare.unionbankph.com/aboitiz/

·        Union Bank of the Philippines Account No. 10026-1070944

·        City Savings Bank Account No. 200-20031301

Or visit www.aboitizfoundation.org and click the “Donate” button.

For other concerns, you may contact the following Aboitiz Foundation representatives:

·        Danny Cerence (Coordination) – 09176308172

·        Rowena Astillo (Donations) – 09176304484

For updates on the relief operations, visit the Aboitiz Foundation’s Facebook page. (Facebook.com/AboitizFoundation) or follow on @AboitizFDN on Twitter. Show your support by using #BangonVisayas in your social media posts.

The Aboitiz Group calls for donations for areas affected by typhoon Pablo

The Aboitiz Group, led by the Aboitiz Foundation, is now accepting donations for areas in Mindanao that have been badly hit by Pablo.

 

After the damage left by the typhoon, it is estimated that thousands of families in various Mindanao localities to include New Bataan, Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Iligan, and Davao, and in Visayas, specifically Negros and Dumaguete, are still in need of help.

As of today, the Aboitiz Group has given over P5.5 million worth in assistance to an estimated 10,000 families in the said areas, P2 million of which came from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), and P1 million from UnionBank of the Philippines. More than half of the total funds have been channeled for relief operations in ComVal, which experienced the most devastation.

For the donations that will be raised, the Aboitiz Group will prepare a mix of ready to eat canned goods, water, bread and biscuits, personal effect like towels, blankets, and underwear, as well cooking ware.

Even before super typhoon Pablo hit the country in the first days of December, the Aboitiz Group was ready with its emergency response activities, especially in areas where its business units are located. WeatherPhilippines Foundation, the Aboitiz Group's partnership with Meteomedia of Switzerland, played a key role, and used its weather forecasting system that aided the Group with its disaster risk management initiatives.

In Mindanao, Aboitiz Group subsidiary Therma Marine, Inc. (TMI) in Maco, Davao del Norte coordinated with provincial and local governments to move affected families to evacuation centers. About  1,500 families have already been provided with relief goods,  while 2,000 food packs and 1,500 packs of mats, towels, and cooking ware are yet to be distributed.

Aboitiz Group subsidiary Hedcor Sibulan has dispatched a relief team to five barangays in Bukidnon to assist about 600 families. Aboitiz Group subsidiary Therma South, Inc. (TSI) has also coordinated with local government representatives to reach affected areas to distribute mats and blankets to 400 families.

In support of TMI Maco and TSI, Davao Light and Power Co., also an Aboitiz Group subsidiary relief team distributed food items to 1,000 families in Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. The AboitizPower sales team in Mindanao also donated 1,000 bottles of water to families in Barangay Macasandig in Cagayan de Oro.

Davao Light has also dispatched teams of linemen to help the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative in restoring power to affected areas. Two other groups were dispatched in Compostela Valley to assist the Davao Norte Electric Cooperative.

For the Visayas relief operations, the Aboitiz Foundation and Aboitiz Group subsidiary Visayan Electric Co. (VECO) have sent relief packs for 1,250 families in Dumaguete and Tanjay, with distribution coursed through CitySavings Bank branches. VECO  also deployed linemen to Surigao del Sur to help Surigao del Sur Electric Cooperative I restore their lines.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation has set up a communications center within Cebu to send out the distribution of goods to both ComVal and Davao Oriental.

Those who wish to give cash donations may do so through personal deposits at UnionBank’s 190 branches or CitySavings Bank, or via online transaction.

Aboitiz Foundation

Union Bank of the Philippines: 10026-1070944

City Savings Bank: 200-200331301

The following Aboitiz Group representatives may also be contacted for more information on how to help:

Aboitiz Foundation: Rowena Astillo (09176304484), Danny Cerence (09176308172)

Compostela Valley Relief Operations: Marissa Campomanes (09177250992).

For immediate updates on typhoon Pablo relief efforts, you may visit the Aboitiz Foundation Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/aboitizfoundation.

About Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.
The Aboitiz Foundation is the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, with social development initiatives focused on the areas of education, enterprise development, primary health and child care, and the environment. With education as its  main thrust, the Foundation allocates more than half of its annual budget to education-related projects. 

About Aboitiz Equity Ventures
Aboitiz Equity Ventures is the publicly listed holding and investment company of the Aboitiz Group with major investments in power, banking and food. Two of its investee companies are also listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange. AEV is consistently recognized in international surveys as among the Philippines’ best managed companies and has also been cited for its commitment to good corporate governance.  For more details, please visit: www.aboitiz.com

AboitizPower’s groundbreaking environmental Facebook game Alter Space goes online

With more than 500 million active users around the globe, what better way to spread the message of environmental awareness than through Facebook's massive and vibrant online community? This is why AboitizPower Corp., one of the country’s leading producers of cleaner and renewable energy, chose to develop its new environmentally-themed game called Alter Space specifically for Facebook.

The first-ever Filipino-made game with an environmental advocacy, AboitizPower formally launched Alter Space at a press conference held at the Le Bistro Vert restaurant in Makati City. Present at the launch were Erramon Aboitiz, President and CEO of AboitizPower, Miguel Aboitiz, AboitizPower’s SVP for Marketing & Trading, Sebastian Lacson, AbotizPower’s Chief Reputation Officer, Francene Gonzales, general manager of BBDO Proximity (AboitizPower's creative agency), James Lo, president of Indigo Entertainment and the game's developer, and Marina Mallare, Senior Associate of the Ateneo School of Government, AboitizPower's consultant for the game.

Also gracing the Alter Space launch were Alter Space game advocates Anton del Rosario of the Azkals football team and renowned international cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao.

 "Alter Space is the first-ever environmentally-themed Facebook application created by ingenious Filipinos for fellow Filipinos, as well as for all Facebook users in the world. It is also our chance as Filipinos to stand out globally with something that would demonstrate to the world that we are leaders in altering our lifestyle to a more sustainable one," Erramon Aboitiz announced.

The game also comes at a very opportune time as the Earth Hour is fast approaching. By playing Alter Space, the public can learn useful habits that can help them go beyond the hour when it comes to saving mother earth.

"It's really nice to be here and be part of this wonderful project. As a gamer I see this as an opportunity to speak to the youth, to tell them to be better citizens because the future of our planet is in our hands," Gosiengfiao said.

           AboitizPower: Providing energy solutions for a cleaner future

AboitizPower's Alter Space game was developed in line with the company's Cleanergy brand, an energy solution harnessed from the company’s hydroelectric and geothermal generation assets that will encourage AboitizPower consumers towards a more responsible choice. Cleanergy communicates AboitizPower’s vision to offer an energy solution that leaves a lighter impact on Earth’s climate and its limited resources, and to promote the usage of clean & renewable energy from sources that are sustainable & cleaner than fossil fuels.

 "As you all know, AboitizPower is one of country's leading advocates of sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy sources. Today, close to 42% of our generating capacity, equivalent to 1200 megawatts, is renewable. While the company takes our commitment to clean energy seriously, we at AboitizPower have also realized that we can only do so much," Aboitiz said.

Meanwhile, Miguel Aboitiz justified the use of social media as a platform for the messaging. "With millions of Facebook users across the globe, imagine the number of people we could reach with something innovative like Alter Space. Imagine the number of people who will learn about alternative means by which we could lower our carbon footprint. Alter Space is a free game that can be accessed by anyone with a Facebook account."

 "Essentially, carbon footprint is the amount of emission generated by human activities. While we cannot stop ourselves from generating our carbon footprint completely, we can all find ways to reduce this to the point where emissions no longer pose a risk to our planet. By playing Alter Space, we hope that we can apply simple practices to protect our environment from the effects of too much carbon emissions," he further explained.

                                                  Playing the game

In Alter Space, players are tasked to take care of their own planet. Players progress by adding points to their Happiness, Current-cy, and Experience levels. The challenge for them is to accomplish this while keeping their carbon footprint in check, which is how things essentially function in the real world. And being the first Philippine-made Facebook game with an environmental advocacy, Alter Space is filled with elements that are distinctly Filipino.

"As we promote environmental awareness, we are also highlighting the Filipino culture. For example, in this proudly Philippine-made game, you will find many distinctive Filipino features like sungka and 'turo-turo' foods, among others," the AboitizPower SVP for Marketing & Trading further related. He also noted that Filipinos are the number one users of Facebook in the world, with 22 million registered users.

 Endorsers Gosiengfiao and Del Rosario share the pride that goes with the game being Filipino-made. "Alter Space is something we Filipinos can be very proud of. First of all, it’s made by Filipinos. And it is just as good as other foreign-made games,” Gosiengfiao said.

“It’s also very addictive, fun and challenging. Plus, it has the things that users have enjoyed doing with other widely popular online games,” she added.

 “I’m glad that a company like AboitizPower has found a way to communicate this kind of message to the public. This is the Filipinos' contribution to the environmental consciousness that’s spreading throughout the globe,” Del Rosario said.

At the launch, AboitizPower invited the members of the press to try out Alter Space for themselves. The company held a contest to see which participant can level up first in the game. An iPod Touch was handed out to the eventual winner, Stephanie Esguerra who writes for Smartparenting.com.ph.

Meanwhile, the game is earning accolades from various users. Melai Tolentino said “Tried this game. Let's support our very own FB game and let's help increase environmental awareness, the "First Filipino Environmental Awareness Facebook Game."

Others laud the fact that they learn from it.

May Espina said, “Ingenious nga ang larong ito! Education naman talaga ang purpose nito at walang ibang paraan para ituro sa mga tao kung paano ibaba ang carbon footprint kung hindi sa  media o social media. Ang importante ay yung long-term impact nito. Minsan mong laruin at habang buhay mo nang alam kung paano gawin ang mga naituturo nito.”

"We firmly believe that the power of choice is yours, the consumers, and know that the general public plays the most important and most powerful role in saving our environment. More than providing a fast and fulfilling game experience, Alter Space is an innovative, powerful, and fun tool for teaching the public, for teaching our children, about specific practices, specific choices, we all can apply in our daily lives to protect our environment," Erramon Aboitiz stressed.  

"We hope that you would support this project and all the other efforts toward environmental awareness. And let us always remember that the future of our planet is our choice, not our fate," he concluded.

To get started, one may go to http://www.facebook.com/AlterSpaceGame then click on the "Like" and "App" buttons to access the game.

AboitizPower is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, retail and power services.  It is a major producer of Cleanergy, its brand for clean and renewable energy, in the Philippines with several hydroelectric and geothermal assets in its generation portfolio and also has non-renewable power plants located across the country. The company owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (For more details, please visit: www.abotizpower.com and www.cleanergy.com.ph.