Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd.-Philippines (HHIC-Phil) donated half a million worth of building and construction materials to the municipality of Botolan, Zambales, which was hit by massive flooding during the recent typhoon.
The materials are expected to help flood victims rebuild their homes, said officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), who facilitated the turnover of the donations from Hanjin to the Zambales provincial government at the provincial capitol here.
Governor Amor Deloso, who had earlier asked for assistance on behalf of more than 2,000 families left homeless by the floods, received the first truckload of materials delivered by Hanjin.
The materials will include about 1,100 bags of cement, 800 corrugated G.I. sheets, and 10,500 pieces of concrete hollow blocks, said Taek Kyun Yoo, HHIC-Phil’s general manager for external trade, who supervised the turnover.
Yoo said that in the last couple of weeks, his company has also donated canned goods and other relief items to typhoon victims in Botolan.
However, “we deem that the canned and dry goods we earlier sent to Botolan are not enough because we also see the urgent need for the repair of houses destroyed by the typhoon. So the company decided to donate these construction and building materials,” Yoo added.
HHIC-Phil, which operates the $1.6-billion shipbuilding facility at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, has been enjoying continued growth despite the global economic crisis, Yoo also said during his meeting with Deloso.
The firm, which now builds some of the biggest ships in the word today, currently employs more than 18,000 workers, most of whom are from Zambales and other nearby communities, added Yoo.
“We are hoping that less typhoons will visit in the coming months, so that there will be no more damages to lives and property here,” he also said.
Aside from Hanjin, another Korean firm based in the Subic Bay Freeport had extended assistance to Botolan flood victims.
Neorex Philkor, which is into development of resort and entertainment facilities in Subic Freeport, delivered 800 bags of relief goods worth P200,000.
Neorex president Henry Park personally led the distribution of relief goods to evacuees housed at the Porac Elemenrary School and Bucao Elementary School, which still serve as evacuation centers for some 200 families in Botolan.
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, meanwhile, has commended both HHIC-Phil and Neorex Philkor “for taking the initiative of being a good neighbor to local communities, especially in times of need.”
“These are gestures that not only build goodwill between neighbors,” Arreza remarked. “These initiatives, in fact, help save lives and bring hope to people who find themselves in desperate situations.”
“We hope that more business locators in Subic would find the time and the wherewithal to extend their help,” Arreza added. (SBMA Corporate Communications)
PHOTO: Governor Amor Deloso (second from right) receives the first truckload of construction materials donated by the Subic Bay Freeport-based shipbuilder Hanjin. The donation, which was turned over by HHIC-Phil external trade manager Taek Kyun Yoo (second from left), is expected to benefit some 2,000 families affected by floods spawned by typhoon Kiko last month.
