Businesses pledge P1.5B for grocery vouchers to 1 million Metro Manila households

At least 20 companies have banded together to pledge P1.5 billion to finance the grocery vouchers to be handed out to over a million households in Metro Manila.

In a statement, Project Ugnayan -- a collaboration of business groups in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PRDF) -- raised funds in support of initiatives to assist families affected by the Luzon-wide quarantine.

From 12:00 a.m. on March 17, the entirety of Luzon was placed on enhanced community quarantine until April 12, 2020, restricting travel within the region in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Among the companies which are part of Project Ugnayan are the Aboitiz Group, ABS-CBN/Lopez Group, Alliance Global/Megaworld, AY Foundation and RCBC, Ayala Corporation, Caritas Manila, and Century Pacific.

Also included are Concepcion Industrial Corp., DMCI, Gokongwei Group of Companies/Robinsons Retail Holdings, ICTSI, Jollibee, Leonio Group, Mercury Drug, and Metrobank/GT Capital.

Completing the list are NutriAsia, Oishi/Liwayway Marketing Group PDRF, PLDT/Metro Pacific Investments Corp., Puregold, San Miguel Corp., and SM/BDO, Sunlife of Canada, Suyen Corp.

"Project Ugnayan is a collaboration with business groups in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation to raise funds in support of ongoing initiatives to help poor families that were economically displaced by the ongoing Enhanced Community Quarantine in Metro Manila," it said.

The program will initially be available through Caritas Manila, among others.

"We are grateful for the support of the business community and hope that this initiative will inspire more acts of kindness in this time of crisis. Now is the time for our communities to help as one," Fr. Anton Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila, said.

The government's economic team earlier announced a P27.1-billion package to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and to provide economic relief to businesses affected by the threat.

Bulk of the amount, equivalent to P14 billion, will be used for programs of the Department of Tourism (DOT), said to be the "most affected." —LDF, GMA News