Softbank donates P500,000 for Sendong victims; Globe to facilitate project implementation
5:53 AM
Vernon Joseph Go
SOFTBANK PAYMENT SERVICE CORP (SBPS) OF Japan has donated P500,000 to finance continuing rehabilitation efforts for Typhoon Sendong victims even as it tapped leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom for project implementation. SBPS and Globe are partners in the international remittance business.
Rob I. Nazal, head of Globe Corporate Social Responsibility, said that part of the amount is intended to purchase 35 tents for ChildFund. The tents, to be used for counseling seminars as well as various activities for children and adults, will be set up at various Tent City temporary shelters in Cagayan de Oro, one of two hardest hit provinces in the country.
ChildFund currently runs the Child-Centered Spaces Program for 1,000 parents and 2,500 children victims of Sendong who are still staying at Tent City. Together with its partner 4K (Kaabag sa Kalambuan Pinaagi sa Kamtangan sa Katinlingban), ChildFund holds psycho-social group sessions to aid the emotional recovery of Sendong victims who suffered from profound stress as a result of their experience during the typhoon onslaught.
Nazal said that another portion of the funds will be used to support Balay Integrated Rehabilitation Center for Total Human Development (BIRTH-DEV), a non-government organization based in Iligan, which runs a similar program for 500 families in Sendong-affected communities in the area. BIRTH-DEV is also a member of the Mindanao Emergency Response Network (MERN) which received 200 Globe Bridging Communities (GBC) SIM cards and non-food donation from Globe as part of their relief operations in Iligan last December.
“These are the projects that we have identified so far but we are still finalizing plans for the best use of the Softbank donation. We are very grateful to SBPS for this philanthropic act. The funds that they provided will definitely help significantly in the rehabilitation of the Sendong victims,” Nazal said.
Shinichi Ata, President and CEO of SBPS, said: “We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the people affected by the typhoon which hit Southern Philippines last December, and we extend our deepest sympathies to bereaved families. We donated P500,000 to the affected people. The donation has been delivered through Globe who is our remittance partner in the Philippines. We pray for the fastest possible restoration of the areas afflicted by this disaster.”
SBPS earlier partnered with G-XCHANGE, INC. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Globe, for an affordable, convenient, and secure remittance service that will greatly benefit Filipinos living and working in Japan. Japan is the Philippines’ fifth largest source of OFW remittances, with total inflows reaching close to $900-Million in 2010.
Using the GCASH platform, Filipinos in Japan can send money to their families and loved ones in the Philippines anytime they want. The recipients, on the other hand, can take advantage of GCASH REMIT’s thousands of outlets nationwide, thus, allowing them to withdraw the amount even if they live in far-flung provinces.
SBPS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese telecommunications and media corporation giant SOFTBANK CORP., which also owns SOFTBANK MOBILE,one of Japan's largest telecommunications companies. Softbank Mobile is one of the most widely-used wireless carriers by Filipinos living in Japan.
