Cebu Pacific Takes Active Role in Odette Disaster Relief

 In the wake of the destruction brought by Typhoon Odette in Visayas and Mindanao just one week before Christmas 2021, Filipinos gathered in...

 In the wake of the destruction brought by Typhoon Odette in Visayas and Mindanao just one week
before Christmas 2021, Filipinos gathered in the name of bayanihan to help the affected families and
communities rise and rebuild. 




Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ leading airline, worked hand-in-hand with government agencies,
non-profit organizations, and regular citizens in extending help and uplifting lives. With its large,
nationwide coverage of flights and personnel who are rooted in the company value of service
excellence, CEB was able to quickly mobilize relief to affected areas.

From the air to on-the-ground

The country’s preferred cargo carrier with the widest domestic network partnered with the
Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and the Office of Civil Defense to provide special
humanitarian flights for 32 medical personnel from Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital and Dr.
Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, along with a cargo of assorted medicines and
medical equipment from the Department of Health (DOH) to the CARAGA Region via Siargao. This
was part of an urgent medical mission to Odette-impacted communities who were suffering from a
stomach flu outbreak due to the lack of potable water in these areas.

PDRF President Butch Meily was thankful for the airline’s help in bringing medical aid to those
communities. “Cebu Pacific’s assistance has been crucial in getting the PDRF team, healthcare
professionals, medicine, and relief goods to areas where they were desperately needed. We are
grateful to the men and women of the airline for their support,” he said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) likewise tapped the logistical support
of Cebu Pacific to expedite the delivery of relief items to areas affected by Typhoon Odette. Around
1,340 family food packs were transported by the airline to Caticlan, Cebu, and Palawan from
December 22 to 30, 2021. The cargo also included 30,000 pieces of Disaster Assistance Family Access
Card (DAFAC) forms which helped the DSWD ensure that all families hit by Typhoon Odette are given
appropriate assistance through a monitoring system.

“With the extent of damage caused by Typhoon Odette in transportation, electricity and
communication lines, the generosity and support of Cebu Pacific to the DSWD’s relief operations
greatly helped in the expeditious delivery of the much-needed assistance to our affected
kababayans,” DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista said.


One of the challenges in the disaster-stricken areas was to prevent a surge of COVID-19 in their
evacuation centers. To help monitor the number of COVID cases in Eastern Visayas, the World
Health Organization (WHO) Philippines dispatched 2,000 rapid antigen test kits to the region,
tapping Cebu Pacific as its logistics partner to transport the test kits to Tacloban City last January 7.
Cebu Pacific airlifted additional antigen kits for WHO Philippines on the week of February 7 .
Cebu Pacific was also supportive of private initiatives such as the distribution of Waves for Water
filtration systems by travel vlogger Kyle Jennerman and Northern Mindanao Mountaineering Society
to the coastal barangays Bayanihan and San Antonio in the Municipality of Libjo in Dinagat islands.
The airline was able to fly out the filtration buckets from Manila to provide safe drinking water for
the communities. "Without the help of Cebu Pacific, we wouldn't have been able to bring these donated water filters at a critical time when its most needed in the community. We are so thankful." according to volunteer organizer Sam Jennings.

Animal welfare was another major concern during the recent calamity, and Cebu Pacific helped PeTA
Asia care for the affected people and pets by carrying three shipments of 350kgs of animal and
human food including rice, canned goods, water filters, vet meds, solar panel, tarps, and drinking
water for the Bohol Animal Rescue and Kindness (BARK) Center in Bohol and the Island Rescue
Organization in Cebu.

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