Present during the distribution are (left to right) Maj. Sandro Sereño of the Philippine Army, Metrobank Visayas Area-1 head Lorna Tolentino, a Bags of Blessing beneficiary, Global Business Power head of Toledo Operations Engr. Leah Diaz, Sister Baby Mangubat of Toledo Parish and Caritas Cebu representative in behalf of Rev. Fr. Soc Saldua. (Contributed)
In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Metrobank Group and GT Capital Holdings sustained their tradition of giving back to the communities through the 2016 “Bags of Blessing” (BOB) project.
Donations amounting to P10 million made possible the distribution of bags containing P1,000 worth of food items to 10,000 families in select areas in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region.
As one of the chosen sites, 500 families in Toledo City, Cebu were assisted with food bags containing rice, milk, sugar, canned goods and noodles, among other basic commodities, last Feb. 20 at the Cebu Energy Development Corp. (CEDC) multi-purpose gym.
The distribution was graced by Sister Baby Mangubat of Toledo City Parish and Metrobank- Visayas Area 1 led by Lorna Tolentino.
The gift-giving activity was also supported by Leah G. Diaz of the CEDC and Toledo Power Company. Both power plants are electric utility arms of the Global Business Power, a member of GT Capital Holdings Inc.
In time for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) served as the main partner in this undertaking in coordination with select Catholic archdioceses and dioceses throughout the country and the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
Spearheaded by GT Foundation and Metrobank Foundation, employees from the network of Metrobank branches and the different subsidiaries and affiliates of GT Capital Holdings and the Metrobank Group were mobilized to help in this series of gift-giving activities.
“Amidst the revelry and festivities in line with the celebration of the Chinese New Year, there is also the reality that there are many underprivileged Filipino families who do not have access to basic social services. We wanted to make the celebration of Chinese New Year a unique one by way of sustaining our tradition of sharing and giving back through this project,” said Metrobank Foundation president Aniceto Sobrepeña.
“On the 4th year of the Bags of Blessing, we are privileged to work with CBCP and our church leaders as our way of responding to the call for mercy and compassion among the poor by Pope Francis,” he continued.
Cities chosen to be this year’s venues of Bags of Blessing include: Marikina City (500 families); Quezon City (500 families); Taguig City (500 families); Makati City (500 families); and the city of Manila (700 families).