THE devastation in Typhoon Odette-ravaged areas in Visayas and Mindanao was all too telling. Pictures and stories are not enough to describe the havoc created by the typhoon not only on properties and infrastructure, but also on the hearts and minds of Filipinos who witnessed the typhoon’s onslaught.
In order to provide help to Filipinos affected by the super typhoon, Insular Life (InLife) and its corporate social arm Insular Foundation recently carried out disaster response initiatives aimed at alleviating the plight of typhoon victims.
The two organizations were able to raise P2 million to help families in typhoon-affected communities in Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao. The foundation provided P1.02 million worth of food packages and sleeping mats, and also partnered with NORFIL Foundation and the Philippine Association of Social Workers Cebu Chapter to reach out to 380 families in Mandaue City, Cebu.
The foundation also worked with the League of Corporate Foundations to help 200 families in South Cebu, and with the Philippine Relief and Development Services, Inc. to provide two-week food supplies for 150 families in Dinagat and Siargao islands, and Surigao.
InLife also extended assistance to its policyholders in typhoon-affected areas, as well as its building tenants in its Cebu office.
Additionally, InLife extended the grace period from 31 days to 61 days for premium payments due from November 15 to December 31, 2021 in the following areas and provinces: Siargao Island, Dinagat Islands, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental and Palawan. This move is to allow InLife policyholders in these areas to manage their funds and allocate it to more pressing and urgent needs and concerns.
Even as super typhoon Odette caused power interruption and water shortage for weeks, the Insular Life Cebu Business Center and its tenants, which include business process outsourcing companies, continued their operations through InLife’s generator sets and water supply.
Meanwhile, InLife offices in the following areas remain open to serve policyholders: Cebu, Tacloban, Ormoc, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Catarman and Iloilo in Visayas; and Cagayan de Oro, Pagadian, Dipolog, Tagum, Valencia, Zamboanga, Davao, General Santos, Butuan, Ozamiz, Digos, and Cotabato in Mindanao.