Present during the turnover are, from left: PLDT Cebu Customer Experience Zone Workforce Management Supervisor Roel Cañete, PBSP Visayas Regional Center Admin Specialist Elmarie Garso. Cebu Caritas, Inc.– Commission on Service Chairman and President Rev. Fr. Alex Cola, Jr. and PLDT Cebu Customer Experience Zone Workforce Management Sr. Supervisor Neil Bebilone.
As more families and communities struggle through the long drawn-out COVID-19 pandemic, PLDT and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) widen their outreach to indigent communities through the Cebu Caritas, Inc (CCI) Office. As part of the sustainable livelihood program supported by PLDT and PBSP, hygiene kits were distributed at the Caritas Kindness Station in Cebu.
The hygiene kits, which include washable facemasks in PLDT-branded pouches, were handmade by the women seamstresses from SOW in Payatas in Metro Manila.
According to Reverend Father Alex Cola, Jr. who is the CCI President and Chairman on the Commission on Services, the hygiene kits will benefit some of the indigent families in the community, reinforcing health and safety protocols. “These hygiene kits will be distributed in different parishes in the Archdiocese of Cebu for the least fortunate brothers and sisters who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rev. Fr. Cola said.
Cebu Caritas, Inc.– Commission on Service Chairman and President Rev. Fr. Alex Cola, Jr. leads the distribution of the hygiene kits.
On behalf of Archbishop Jose S. Palma, D.D. and the CCI–Commission on Service of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Rev. Fr. Cola expressed his gratitude to PLDT for extending support for the Caritas Kindness Station.
“At the core of our Company values is malasakit (compassion). PLDT imparts this shared value to every Filipino family and community. Amid the pandemic, we support our brothers and sisters who are facing the severe impacts of the coronavirus. We hope that our simple donation will go a long way,” said PLDT Community Relations Division Head Katherine P. Diaz De Rivera.
As the social development and charitable arm of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the CCI–Commission on Service is tasked to always be in the forefront in the fight against poverty. The Commission on Service also aims to promote social equality and to provide the community with spiritual guidance and social services for the most marginalized sectors of society.
The distribution of the hygiene kits takes place at the Caritas Kindness Station located in the Cebu Caritas, Inc. Office.
The funds for the hygiene kit donations were sourced from PLDT’s Motolite-PBSP Balik-Baterya Program, which was first launched in 2006. The program involves the collection of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) for proper recycling and production of new automative and industrial batteries as well as for various corporate social responsibility projects.
These efforts underscore the commitment of PLDT and its partners to the attainment of key sustainable development goals, particularly UN Sustainable Development Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
