San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and the City of Manila yesterday opened doors to the “Better World Tondo”, a unique learning facility and food bank for the poor of Tondo in Manila.
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso led the first day of operations of the Better World Tondo facility at a former idle beer warehouse located at 422 Mel Lopez Blvd. formerly Radial Rd. 10.
Better World Tondo will prioritize serving children, the elderly, the disabled, and single parents with food and supplementary education.
The Better World Tondo community project is a partnership between SMC, the Rise Against Hunger Philippines which manages the food supplied by San Miguel Foods, Spam, Makati Diamond Residences, and Manila Diamond Hotel. and the AHA! Learning Center which teaches after-school programs on values formation and skills building for the children of Tondo.
SMC Foundation reports it took 5 months for the center to be completed and ready for its launch on September 18. The project is a response to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s call for companies to help develop the city.
“Better World Tondo was a concept we’ve had for some time. We want to be able to collaborate with businesses and companies to collect excess food, store them in a food bank, to be served to those in need by community volunteers. It’s food rescue to address hunger, which is still a major problem for many sectors of our society,” Ang said.
SMC will set up additional facilities in areas to be identified by the Manila City government.
Moreno called for more assistance from Manila’s corporations saying, “We want to change Manila for the better not because we know better than the others but look at us. We really need all the help and attention that we can get.”
“I’m speaking based on my personal experience. Hungry children lose their focus on studies. We are thankful that there are companies in the private sector, like San Miguel, who are ready to help the government in its effort to improve the lives of the people,” Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said about the new Better World Tondo.
The City of Manila had recently begun working with the University of the Philippines to develop the city’s disaster-resilience capability and is exploring collaborations with Singapore and the United States for ways to enhance its anti-flooding program.
SEND congratulations in the comments below for the team behind Better World Tondo for bringing relief and hope to the poorest of Manila!
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