Business groups pledge P1.5B for grocery vouchers to Metro Manila's poor

Project Ugnayan, a collaboration between business groups and the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, has raised over P1.5 billion to distribute P1,000 gift certificates to more than one million households affected by the Luzon-wide quarantine.

The initiative aims to provide food assistance to urban poor communities in Metro Manila while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Participating companies include Aboitiz Group, ABS-CBN/Lopez Group, Ayala Corporation, and others. Distribution is being handled through Caritas Manila’s Project Damayan and ABS-CBN’s Pantawid ng Pag-ibig program.

Gift certificates will be redeemable for food items at accessible groceries and supermarkets in four pilot areas with plans to scale up distribution.