Simultaneous relief operations were launched in areas in Bulacan province that were turned into inland seas by torrential southwest monsoon rains enhanced by the recent typhoons Egay and Falcon.
Simultaneous relief efforts in typhoon-stricken communities in Bulacan on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. (Photos courtesy of SM)
SM Supermalls and SM Foundation Inc., through the Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) program, launched simultaneous relief efforts and extended assistance to typhoon-stricken communities in Bulacan on Wednesday, August 2.
In the Municipality of Marilao, five barangays received truckloads of ‘kalinga packs."
Volunteers from SM City Marilao were grouped, deployed, and sent to areas with the highest number of displaced families and recurring floodwaters in Barangays Nagbalon, Lias, Ibayo, Poblacion, and Abangan Sur.
With the help of a rescue team from each barangay, a total of 1,000 families were given relief packs that contained rice, canned sardines, instant noodles, and bottled water.
Relief operations by SM City Baliwag were also launched in Barangays Tibag, San Roque, Paitan, Poblacion, and San Jose. A total of 1,000 relief packs were distributed in flooded areas and evacuation centers in Baliwag.
SM Center Pulilan conducted door-to-door relief pack distributions in Paltao and Longos in Pulilan and Wawa and San Juan in Balagtas.
The house-to-house approach allowed volunteers to identify and assist individuals or families who were unable to access the centralized relief centers. Around 1,300 families in Pulilan and Balagtas benefited from the relief operations.
The Kalinga pack distribution effort is part of OPTE, a social outreach program of SM Foundation in collaboration with SM Supermalls and SM Markets. It aims to address the needs of communities during calamities and crises. Its implementation includes close coordination with SM Supermalls employees and volunteers.
Being one of the hardest-hit provinces, local officials have placed the province of Bulacan under a state of calamity due to severe flooding in several towns following incessant and widespread rains dumped by Typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon.