THE Provincial Government of Pampanga will take the lead in helping some 1,000 victims of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that hit the province in April, as it formally received building materials donated by Ayala Foundation over the weekend.
The turnover was facilitated by Ayala Foundation officials and former House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Governor Dennis Pineda and Vice Governor Lilia Pineda.
Ayala Foundation had been the first non-government organization to do an inspection of affected households in Floridablanca and Porac, immediately after the earthquake.
Ayala Foundation Inc. president Ruel Maranan earlier said that after the earthquake, Ayala Group of Companies chairperson Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and the rest of the members, through the Ayala Foundation, decided to extend assistance to the province -- from rescue, relief, and a portion of the rehabilitation.
Initially, they are targeting 1,000 households to assist. They are coordinating with the national and local government and its officials on how they can leverage and maximize assisting the most affected families.
“It takes the whole group -- local government, the Ayala Foundation and its private partners. We’re opening, encouraging and appealing very much for all to extend sustainable solutions to those affected,” Maranan said.
Maranan said the building materials have been coursed through the Provincial Government of Pampanga, which will identify the beneficiaries.