Business groups launch P1.5B project to feed 1M households

Twenty of the Philippines' leading business groups have pooled over P1.5 billion to provide food assistance to one million poor households in Metro Manila affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

Project Ugnayan, a collaboration with business groups and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), aims to distribute P1,000 gift certificates to each household to purchase food items.

These gift certificates can be redeemed at accessible groceries and supermarkets, with delivery facilitated door-to-door to ensure compliance with social distancing measures.

The distribution effort is being facilitated through collaborations with Caritas Manila's Project Damayan and ABS-CBN's Pantawid ng Pag-ibig program.

Distribution is currently underway in four pilot areas and is expected to expand with the support of various project partners, with ongoing talks with more companies to expand the project's reach.

Several companies, including Aboitiz Group, Yuchengco Group of Companies, Union Bank, and GMA Network, are also providing financial assistance, payment extensions, and other forms of support to their employees and clients during the lockdown.