#RebuildPH: ‘Small acts of kindness’ for Yolanda victims

MANILA, Philippines – In an effort to help rebuild the lives of those devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), 3 international organizations joined forces to create a worldwide volunteer round-up and donation drive campaign that will harness people’s ‘small acts of kindness’ for the Yolanda survivors.

Coca-Cola Philippines, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), and Habitat for Humanity launched #RebuildPH on Thursday, January 30, with the idea that no action is too small to make a difference.

Coca-Cola Philippines general manager Guillermo Aponte said the campaign aims to get more people involved in post-Yolanda recovery efforts.

“If there is one lesson learnt from Typhoon Yolanda, it is that no act is too small. Rebuilding rests in the hands of every one of us, not merely a few…There are millions of people in the Visayas waiting for us to do something,” Aponte added.

The super typhoon, which hit the Visayas in November 8, 2013, left thousands dead, millions displaced and millions worth of property damage. (All you need to know about Yolanda/Haiyan can be found here.)

PRC chairman Richard Gordon said the tripartite partnership will help their individual efforts create bigger positive impact.

“Picking up from one of the worst natural disasters in history, it’s going to take a lot of effort from both individuals and businesses. #RebuildPH is very timely and appropriate since we really have to rebuild our country,” Gordon added.

Rebuilding better

Habitat CEO and managing director Charlie Ayco said the partnership represented a “continuum in recovery and development efforts” – PRC focuses primarily on response and Habitat on shelter.

Habitat plans to build 30,000 houses and distribute 30,000 shelter repair kits to Yolanda victims within the next 3 years. The cost for this project is estimated to be at P6 billion.

According to Ayco, Habitat follows international standards in their housing projects for the typhoon victims. This is despite the government’s announcement in early January 2014 that bunkhouses being built need not follow international standards.

Safety and livable space are enough standards, Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda earlier said.

“The basic standard for building houses is that each person should have a floor area of 3.5 square meters…Habitat is a signatory to various humanitarian protocols including Sphere Project (a widely recognized benchmark for humanitarian response). So we follow these standards,” Ayco said.

Meanwhile, Aponte said Coca-Cola also signed an agreement with the Department of Education (DepEd),  committing to rebuild 21 classrooms in schools in Capiz, Eastern Samar, and Bohol. The company will also build clean water systems for some 20 communities in the Visayas.

“We’ve (Coca-Cola) been here for more than a hundred years. We are part of the social fabric of the Philippines. If something happens to the Filipino community, we are also affected…We have the civil responsibility to respond to calls for help,” Aponte added.

Coca-Cola already gave aid and relief to some 200,000 Yolanda-affected families through its earlier partnership with PRC. Coca-Cola companies worldwide donated more than $2.5 million during the relief operations. Its social development arm, Coca-Cola Foundation, also donated P4 million from the employees’ pledges.

United recovery efforts

Gordon said the 3 organizations are in close coordination with national government offices to streamline their efforts.

“We, in Red Cross, for example, are working closely with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in making sure that the schools that we built with China follow their standards…We even sent them a copy of the houses we built in Compostela Valley so they can check,” Gordon added.

Ayco also said that Habitat works closely with the National Housing Authority (NHA) to make sure the houses they build can withstand future disasters.

“They (NHA) gave us a new design parameter so the houses will be able to withstand 275 kilometers per hour of winds. We exchange and cross-check our designs,” he said.

Responding to an earlier comment by Rehabilitation Czar Panfilo Lacson that the private sector should be responsible for the long-term task of rebuilding devastated communities, Aponte said the company will do its part in the rehabilitation efforts.

“We respect and we follow the government’s guidance and rules…The Coca-Cola vision is to stay here for another hundred years. If we’re going to do that, it’s a matter of sustainability to do everything we can do for the communities in need,” he added.

Do your part

In a mini-concert that followed the press conference, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines president Cecilia Alcantara asked the encouraged to give what they can to help, whether it be through monetary support or volunteering.

“We hope that you can do your part to help…It’s easy for us to forget that the victims still need us. We must continue to help and we can only achieve impact if we all work together,” Alcantara said.

Coca-Cola ambassadors Enchong Dee, Kathryn Bernardo, and Joseph Marco also asked the audience to do charity work for the victims. The launch ended with a performance by 6cyclemind.

Those interested to volunteer and give donations in cash or in kind can visit the #RebuildPH website.

Watch this video by Patricia Evanglista.

– Rappler.com