With many Filipinos still suffering from the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Odette, Cebu Pacific ramped up its ongoing “BayaniJuan” efforts by partnering once more with Waves for Water to deliver water filters and containers to typhoon-hit communities.
When the Category 5 typhoon (international name: Rai) made landfall in December, it laid waste to more than 2 million homes and affected nearly 11 million people in the Philippines, according to the latest data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. With the essential infrastructure of several southern provinces lying in ruins, the delivery of basic necessities, including water, became immensely difficult, increasing the risk of dehydration and spread of waterborne diseases.
In response to the situation, global humanitarian aid organization Waves For Water teamed up with Cebu Pacific to deploy water-filtration systems to six affected provinces, including Surigao del Norte, where the heavily damaged surfing haven Siargao Island is found.
Coordinating closely with the nonprofit organization, the airline safely transported the life-saving water filters, which make it possible to drink from a water source without the danger of bacteria, microbial cysts, or protozoa passing through.
“It has always been part of our Filipino bayanihan spirit to assist in relief operations wherever we can. We all know Siargao was one of the destinations severely affected by the Super Typhoon Odette and we prioritized our response with the immediate transport of essential goods, especially the water treatment needs of the community,” said Cebu Pacific Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Michael Ivan Shau.
Founded by Jon Rose, an American professional surfer, Waves For Water aims to provide immediate, long term, and sustainable clean water solutions to those who need them most. Because they are easy to transport, Waves for Water’s filters minimize logistics costs, making them a highly sustainable way of providing clean water. This has also helped minimize single-use plastic waste, a goal that the airline has also endeavored to integrate in its operations.
“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support for Waves For Water Philippines. We wouldn’t have been able to respond so efficiently without support from individual donors, private sector contributions, our amazing network of partner organizations and clean water couriers, and our official airline partner Cebu Pacific who has been supporting us since our Rolly/Ulysses response,” said Waves For Water Philippines Country Director Jenica Dizon.
To date, CEB has flown over two tons of water filters (1,447 units), free-of-charge. As rehabilitation efforts continue, the airline remains committed to pursue its bayanijuan initiatives whenever needed across its wide domestic network.
For more information on Cebu Pacific, visit cebupacificair.com
To learn more about Waves For Water, visit wavesforwater.org
