Vinegar makers, more flood-hit residents in Bulacan receive aid from GMA Kapuso Foundation

Flood-affected residents of Paombong, Bulacan, including local vinegar makers forced to halt production, are slowly rebuilding their livelihoods with assistance from the GMA Kapuso Foundation.

According to “24 Oras” on Friday, Paombong, known as the Vinegar Capital of the Philippines, is home to many families whose livelihoods depend on making vinegar from the sap of nipa palms.

But for vinegar maker Virgilio Nicolas, production came to a halt after the nipa palms where he gets the sap remained submerged in floodwaters for nearly a month.

Even his clay jars, where the sap is stored and fermented to make vinegar, were damaged by the floods.

“We could already harvest the fruit, but we can’t because it’s submerged in water. We have no way to collect the sap,” Virgilio said in Filipino.

Virgilio also stopped raising fish in his fishpond after suffering losses from flooding.

“In one year, we get flooded four times. So how can we recover and benefit if our livestock gets hit by floods?” he said.

To help families affected by the floods, the GMA Kapuso Foundation brought assistance to Barangay San Isidro 2 in Paombong under its Operation Bayanihan program.

The foundation distributed food packs, biscuits, toothpaste, and other essential supplies to residents whose livelihoods were disrupted by the flooding.

Barangay San Isidro II Barangay Captain Nicanor Pasco said many people in the community have been unable to work because of the floods.

“First of all, the water here, if you ask us, sometimes reaches up to our chest, up to our waist,” he said in Filipino.

“We sent a message to the GMA Kapuso Foundation and they responded to us right away,” he added.

Per the report, the GMA Kapuso Foundation has so far assisted around 8,000 individuals affected by the flooding.

"Thank you so much for visiting us. Thank you to the GMA Kapuso Foundation," Virgilio said.

Aside from Bulacan, the GMA Kapuso Foundation has also delivered assistance to communities affected by the Southwest Monsoon, or Habagat, in Pangasinan and La Union.

For those who wish to support GMA Kapuso Foundation projects, donations may be made via Metrobank, Land Bank, BDO, Bank of Commerce, UnionBank, PNB, Cebuana Lhuillier, GCash, Lazada, Shopee, and Palawan Pay. Visit the GMA Kapuso Foundation website for more information.

—Jade Veronique Yap//CDC, GMA News