Statement from:
Frits van Dijk, Executive Vice President, Nestlé S.A.
Zone Director for Asia, Ozeania, Africa and Middle East
SACC member Nestlé is fully committed to the disaster relief
„Nestlé welcomes the initiative of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce and supports it. We are really shocked by what we see in terms of devastation in the Philippines and Indonesia. Nestlé, which is very well entrenched in those countries, has immediately undertaken relief efforts together with its employees who have been given time off to help and /or sort out their own affected properties. We hope to help all the people in these areas with such measures. This includes donations to local communities, which have been badly affected, involving numerous truck loads of Food & Beverage products, and blankets. We also make available our trucks to despatch relief goods for NGO's. Our staff are given time off to help in the relief efforts and / or to sort out their own affected properties. Our staff has also initiated a collection campaign, which amount is being matched by the company, and the funds are handed over to reliable NGO's. We have been actively preparing for the super typhoon Pepeng which has hit the Philippines.
Please help and support the efforts of the SACC and Glueckskette/Swiss Solidarity.“
Statement from:
Mr. Eric van Oppens
President and CEO Novartis Healthcare Philippines, Inc.
Novartis extends assistance to typhoon victims
Still reeling from the devastating effects of Ondoy which directly affected 10% of its workforce, research-based healthcare company Novartis Philippines has joined relief efforts for the victims of one of the most destructive typhoons to ever hit the country.
“We will do whatever we can to ease the suffering of typhoon victims and help them rebuild their lives,” said Novartis Philippines President and CEO, Mr. Eric van Oppens.
To date, Novartis Philippines has allotted P1M worth of medicines for donation to typhoon victims and initiated a donation campaign (in cash and in kind) in coordination with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). On Wednesday, October 7, about 100 employees of Novartis and its generics arm Sandoz will go to flood-ravaged areas identified by the PNRC to help re-pack and distribute relief goods.
Novartis Philippines has released a total of P600,000 in cash as calamity assistance to 50 of its employees whose homes, vehicles and personal belongings were completely or partially damaged by flooding. The affected employees, 30 from Novartis and 20 from Sandoz, live in Bulacan, Cainta, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Parañaque, Pasig, and Quezon City.
According to Novartis Philippines Human Resources Director, Ms. Rosemarie Katalbas, affected employees were also given relief goods such as rice, bottled water and canned goods. “We provided assistance to one employee whose family urgently needed to be relocated. Affected employees have also been given emergency leave-days to help them and their families cope with the effects of the typhoon,” Katalbas said.
“Novartis Philippines welcomes and fully supports the initiative of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce [SACC] to pool its resources and contribute them to relief efforts,” said van Oppens.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis is a member of the SACC and the Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP). PHAP Cares, PHAP’s corporate social responsibility arm, has likewise undertaken relief efforts for typhoon victims.
Describing the human suffering caused by typhoon Ondoy as “truly heartbreaking”, van Oppens thanked employees of Novartis Philippines who in their professional and personal capacities contributed to, and continue to help out in, relief efforts for their colleagues and other typhoon victims.
“This tragic event has given us the opportunity to display the resiliency and generosity of the human spirit,” said van Oppens. “Let us pray for better days ahead.”
Statement from:
Rosario B. Cajucum-Bradbury
Managing Director, SGS Philippines, Inc.
SGS in the Philippines welcomes the initiatives of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC)
The SGS offices operating in the Philippines were not spared from the effects of the disaster wrought by tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana). About 70 of its employees were victims of the floods that inundated Metro Manila, which is one of the worst-hit areas in the Philippines. Nevertheless, it immediately set up a response team with the mission of sending relief and assistance to its affected employees and other Filipinos. The response team of SGS in the Philippines operated on the maxim of immediate relief means speed of execution.
Relief items such as food, water, clothing, medicines, and other items necessary for survival were quickly distributed. Its delivery teams, composed of volunteer employees and tasked of not only distributing these items but cash as well, used whatever logistical resources were available to them and sought out their colleagues in dire need of help. Additional financial assistance was also immediately deposited to the accounts of the affected employees.
The company also believes that any form of assistance will be of benefit to affected employees and made sure that they are not further burdened by other matters. Administrative assistance such as the extension of emergency leaves and the lifting of regulations on tardiness, absences, and office attire were also immediately implemented.
Contributions in kind and in cash from SGS employees were also donated to the Philippine National Red Cross to help out in relief operations for the general populace affected. This is apart from the financial assistance that the company donated and continues to donate to various organizations that are collectively helping out the affected Filipinos and that have more logistical resources available at its disposal.
Even as relief operations are still ongoing, SGS in the Philippines is now looking at how to help its employees and other Filipinos in moving forward. Internally, it has instituted activities that would help its affected employees adjust as they try to rebuild their lives and properties. This includes a think-tank for a rehabilitation program for its employees. As a response to the need of its sister affiliate within the SGS network, the SGS corporate office in Geneva and the SGS affiliate in Taiwan quickly informed the Philippines that they are sending their assistance as well. These and the offer of assistance from other affiliate offices within the SGS network will go a long way to quickly mitigate the effects of the disaster among its employees and other Filipinos.
As a Swiss company that is very active in the Philippine-Swiss Business Council and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the SGS representation in the Philippines also involves itself in the efforts to alleviate the plight of other Filipinos. SGS admits that this is an experience it will not forget as even if it is tragic, it is also educational. It attributes its immediate response to the tragedy, and the willingness of its own employees to volunteer, to its being a Swiss company that lives within the Swiss precept of quality of life.
Thus, SGS in the Philippines welcomes the initiatives of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) in taking on a big role in helping the Filipinos who are severely affected by the disaster and fully supports the relief and rehabilitation programs that the SACC will spearhead. »
The Philippine-Swiss Business Council (PSBC) expresses its appreciation for the concern of the Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce for the Filipinos who are affected by the recent disaster caused by the tropical storm Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) and fully supports its action of providing assistance.
The current mitigation efforts for the communities and individuals affected are focused on the immediate need for relief, which is the current focus of most of the non-governmental organizations, cause-oriented associations, government bodies, rescue and disaster assistance agencies, and volunteers. While the rest of the country and even PSBC members and their respective companies continue to contribute to the immediate alleviation of the affected populace, the PSBC believes that medium- and even long-term efforts should also begin in earnest.
With this in mind, PSBC has put together the principles on which it will initiate a rehabilitation strategy and corresponding program that it hopes it can implement in cooperation with the SACC. It has nominated Mr. Reiner W. Gloor, as the main coordinator with the SACC on behalf of the PSBC. Mr. Gloor has an extensive 30-year experience in the Philippines. He is vice president of PHAPCares Foundation and is a trustee of the Zuellig Family Foundation.
The PSBC was launched in the year 2003 and is one of the active councils under the auspices of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with members from Swiss companies operating in the Philippines and entities who have Philippine-Swiss business interests. It helps promote trade and investments between the Philippines and Switzerland and also takes on the role of strengthening social and cultural relations between the two countries and between the Filipinos and the Swiss community in the Philippines.
Account for donations
Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce
Glückskette / Task Force Asia
Postfinance Account
87-612054-5
IBAN CH32 0900 0000 87612054 5
