Insider Spotlight
Through the Aboitiz Foundation’s Home Recovery Assistance Program, 285 families whose houses were totally damaged are receiving financial and material support to help them rebuild during the holiday season.
Why it matters
For many Filipinos, disasters like typhoons are not isolated events but recurring realities. Programs that move beyond emergency food packs toward home rebuilding address one of the most urgent needs after a disaster: shelter.
Stable housing allows families to resume work, send children back to school, and regain a sense of dignity and normalcy, especially during culturally significant periods like Christmas.
What’s happening
Each affected family in Liloan received P30,000 in home recovery assistance, bringing total support for the municipality to P8.5 million.
The assistance includes cement and construction materials vouchers, along with cash support for labor, enabling families to rebuild safer and more resilient homes.
Anton Perdices, chief operating officer of AboitizPower Distribution Utilities, said the initiative reflects the importance of compassion and unity during difficult times.
“The flash floods brought by Typhoon Tino caused fear, loss, and uncertainty for many families. Dili lalim ang inyong naagian (What you have been through was not easy). Through this support, we want every family to know that you are not alone,” Perdices said.
Between the lines
The initiative, detailed in a press release issued in December, shows how disaster response in the Philippines is increasingly relying on partnerships between the private sector, local governments, and communities themselves. This model helps stretch resources further while ensuring aid is tailored to actual community needs.
What else to know
The Liloan turnover follows a similar effort last November in San Remigio, Cebu, where 225 families received home recovery assistance after a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the province in September.
Perdices emphasized that rebuilding homes is only part of the mission.
“Seeing families smile again—especially during the Christmas season—reminds us that this work is also about restoring hope, dignity, and confidence as communities move forward together,” he said.
Zoom out
The Liloan assistance is part of the broader OneAboitiz disaster response that has reached more than 63,000 families nationwide, with over P28.8 million in total relief and recovery support.
These efforts span earthquake recovery in Cebu and Davao, typhoon response in the Visayas, and flood relief in Northern Luzon.
Bottom line
For Filipinos frequently affected by natural disasters, initiatives like OneAboitiz’s home recovery program play a crucial role in turning survival into recovery, helping communities rebuild not just houses, but hope for a safer future. — Princess Daisy C. Ominga | Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
