DAVAO Light employees from all levels – from contractuals to executives – dipped into their pockets or skimmed their bonus to mobilize financial resources to help the victims of the destructive flash floods that hit Cagayan de Oro and Iligan Cities barely a week before Christmas.
Other than the employees a restaurant specializing in native chicken menu, and a service provider of Davao Light also donated some amount to the overall fund kitty. The non-employee donors were Conching’s Native Chicken and PROCSERV service cooperative which gave P10 thousand and P10,500, respectively.
The resource mobilization came about after the company’s social development arm, the Aboitiz Foundation, Inc., sounded the call for support to the flood victims. Exec. Vice President Art Milan echoed the call immediately and thus started the pouring of cash commitment.
By December 24 the total donation totaled almost P145 thousand. Some gave direct cash while others have theirs deducted from either their salary or bonus.
Upon recommendation of the Aboitiz Foundation whose men were stationed at Xavier University in Cagayan manning the receipt and distribution of donations from the member companies of the Aboitiz Group, Davao Light purchased ready-to-eat canned goods such as sardines, meat and beef loaf, luncheon meat, large blankets and towels from out of the funds generated. The goods and the cost of delivery cost over P142 thousand.
In addition to the food items some employees also donated in-kind materials mostly used and new clothes. Some eight (8) large boxes of these were added to the canned goods. The value was estimated at P7,500.
The donated goods were enough to fill a Nissan van and were delivered by a team of three last December 27 to Cagayan de Oro City. These were first endorsed to the Aboitiz Foundation operation center before the formal turnover to the receiving team of the Jesuit-run Xavier University.
Forty percent of the donated goods were allocated for Iligan City victims. These were in turn delivered to the team from GMA Channel 7 Network Foundation based at the compound of the Capitol University also in Cagayan de Oro City. The GMA team undertook the distribution of relief goods to the victims in Iligan.
While the donations could not certainly make any dent against the magnitude of the need, the employees of Davao Light feel that what they did was a fulfillment of duty in times of dire need.
They were also happy to at least contribute to the total Aboitiz Group assistance which by now amounts to millions of pesos in terms of material and financial donation.
