SMC comes to the rescue of stranded seafarers

STARTING early this week, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has volunteered to provide hundreds of maritime workers, camped out and locally stranded at the Manila North Harbor as they await clearance to return to their provinces, with free meals three times a day and financial assistance from its feeding center and food bank in nearby Tondo.

SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said since June 29, volunteers at Better World Tondo had been preparing and delivering hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner to stranded seamen.

Ang, himself a proud son of Tondo, opened the Better World Tondo community center in September 2019 to serve as a learning and feeding center for children in Manila’s poorest communities.

It also serves as a food bank, receiving donations of excess

Maritime workers (left), who are camping out at North Harbor in Manila and are bound for their respective provinces, receive regular meals and cash assistance from San Miguel Corporation after company President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang (right) learned about their plight recently. As of July 1, 2020, over 1,500 meals were prepared for them at Better World Tondo. food products from companies served as a hub for some of SMC’s and establishments. These are food donation initiatives for poor then prepared into meals by staff communities. Its food relief effort, and community volunteers for the which has reached P511.1 million children and their families. as of June 25, is considered the

Since the Covid-19 pandemic largest in SMC history. struck, Better World Tondo has It has also operationalized a second sustainable community project, Better World EDSA, which serves as a Covid-19 testing lab aimed at testing some 70,000 workers in SMC’s network nationwide and boosting the country’s overall testing capacity.