Mekeni showcases bayanihan spirit amid crisis

IMMEDIATELY after the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in mid-March, Mekeni heeded the call of local government units and nongovernment organizations for donations and began pooling all readily available resources to bring aid to communities and individuals affected by the restriction.

“We know that countless Filipinos are affected by the lockdown. Even our own employees are affected because they cannot go to work. But when we announced that we were going to conduct a donation initiative for those affected by Covid-19, everyone was on board. They were willing to put in more hours just to be able to help, which is very heartwarming,” Mekeni President Prudencio Garcia said.

The company has, so far, donated to several organizations, local government units and frontliners all over Luzon, which were delivered in batches throughout the whole lockdown period. Production employees do the packing while the delivery is handled by the company drivers, with the company’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Team handling community donations. “We’re very glad that despite being in a much different situation now, our employees still chose to serve others. I do not exactly know their reasons but it’s heartening that they chose to help other people in times like these,” Garcia said. Bayanihan has always been part of Mekeni’s DNA. Having gone through several crises, Mekeni has committed itself to help those in need in times of crises and calamities — whenever and wherever. These include the Mount Pinatubo eruption of 1991, Typhoon Ondoy that wreaked havoc in several parts of Metro Manila in 2009, the earthquake that struck Pampanga and devastated Porac in April 2019, and the Taal volcano eruption in January where Mekeni staff traveled to Agoncillo, Batangas and prepared hot meals for those who were affected by the tragedy.