How do you respond to a crisis? Amid challenges, do you take an “every person for himself/herself” stance, or do you draw deep from the wellspring of a “we’re all in this together” mindset? Your mentality matters: How you react determines how quickly you (and your locale) overcome devastation.
Our culture of resilience, bayanihan, and malasakit ignites a strong sense of community into gear—with both the public and the private sectors working hand-in-hand to help affected communities to build back better.
With this, leading superapp Grab Philippines pulls from those admirable cultural attributes with #BangonCebu, its recent initiative to help the forerunning province in the Visayas rise up from the massive devastation brought by Typhoon Odette.
The Grab Cebu Office serving as a support hub to its driver and delivery-partners by providing electricity and internet connection for their devices.
Rising from the rubble
As one of the areas hardest-hit by the Category 4 super typhoon last December 2021, Cebu suffered great losses. Since then, the province has been rising from the rubble —figuratively and literally. With an estimated damage pegged at PHP 1.7 billion and the widespread destruction of infrastructure and businesses, it has indeed been a herculean task for Cebu to bounce back.
Fueled by its commitment to help uplift the everyday lives of Cebuanos, Grab’s Bangon Cebu initiative seeks to provide Cebuanos with wider access to basic necessities, and has since activated recovery programs that bolster local businesses and micro-entrepreneurs.
Leveraging the platform
To sustain the goals of the Bangon Cebu initiative, Grab Philippines has leveraged its superapp platform towards helping Cebu’s recovery. For instance, its Cebu Operations Team pays regular visits to affected micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and to Grab driver and delivery-partners to check in on them and support their needs. Meanwhile, regardless of their affiliated platform, Cebu-based MSMEs affected by Typhoon Odette can reach out to Grab via the merchant assistance link grb.to/bangoncebu to allow its team to provide the support and help needed by MSMEs in their hour of need.
Grab provided tents for local restaurant Noy’s Yellow Chicken whose dining area was severely damaged by Typhoon Odette to allow them to continue serving their customers.
Grab’s driver and delivery-partners also have exclusive access to a Calamity Assistance program by way of its GrabCare Package—which includes emergency top-up, hospital assistance, and vehicle repair assistance. Moreover, the company has designated a team specifically for this task, so that the assistance reaches the partners within days of application. Additionally, Grab provides SIM cards with a built-in data package for its driver and delivery-partners which can be topped-up through the Grab Cebu Office, which now also serves as a support hub for driver- and delivery-partners in need of power supply and network reception for their devices.
Apart from all its relief incentives for MSMEs and partners, Grab has also launched its “Affordapicks” campaign, giving Cebuanos access to an array of budget-friendly meal options, at P99 or less. Plus, all GrabFood orders are at 20% off until February 2022, to provide affordable meals while helping stimulate MSMEs in the food industry, as well.
The Dessert Factory experienced firsthand how Grab provided support programs like the Bangon Cebu Merchant Assistance that allowed them to reopen their business and resume operations.
Testimonies and thanks
Over a month since the devastation of Typhoon Odette, Grab’s drivers, delivery, and merchant-partners have been able to restart their livelihood with the help of the superapp platform. Among the local businesses that experienced this firsthand is Dessert Factory, which shared, “Every one of us has been affected by the recent typhoon Odette. Coupled with the ongoing pandemic, we certainly faced very challenging times. Amidst all these, we are proud to have Grab as our partner, with their very supportive programs like Bangon Cebu Merchant Assistance, their 24/7 back-end support, discounts and other promos for all their customers, thereby helping to rebuild businesses like us, and ultimately— rebuild communities and lives,” a representative from Dessert Factory shared.
Grab delivery-partner Alvin Armecin, who looked to the company for support to resume providing services, says ,”Grab helped to find ways for us to resume our livelihoods. First, we received 500-peso emergency top up para kami ay maka-biyahe kasi wala kaming ma-top-up-an because walang kuryente sa Cebu. They also gave us new SIM cards para maka-connect kami sa internet. Binuksan rin nila ‘yung opisina nila for us to charge our devices para tuloy-tuloy kami sa pag-biyahe.”
Alvin Armecin was among the delivery-partners who sought the support of Grab to continue providing services and resume his means of livelihood.
Grab delivery-partner Junelei Canales expressed similar sentiments, saying, “Nagpapasalamat ako kasi hindi kami pinabayaan ng Grab. Naka-avail ako ng calamity loan na ginamit ko para sa pang-araw-araw naming gastusin dahil stop talaga ang hanapbuhay pagkatapos ng typhoon. Nakabalik ako sa trabaho ng December 30 dahil unti-unti nang lumalakas ang mga booking. Talagang bumilib ako sa Grab kasi inuna talaga nila ‘yung mga pangangailangan ng mga drivers nila,” he shares.
Grab delivery-partner Junelei Canales was able to avail a loan via Grab’s Calamity Assistance which helped sustain his family after the typhoon.
Indeed, times of hardship can reveal the very best in people—and it is when that fire of fortitude is allowed to burn brightly—fueled by compassion in action—that we rise up from devastation.
Users of the platform who wish to get involved with Grab’s Bangon Cebu campaign can do so by donating through their GrabPay and GrabRewards points. Donations will go towards Grab’s relief efforts in partnership with Philippine Red Cross and with Ronald McDonald Kindness Kitchen.
INQUIRER.net BrandRoom/AD