by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 25, 2021 | Advocacy
Close to 500 houses for families displaced by the conflict in Marawi have been built as part of the partnership to support the city’s rehabilitation by leading building solutions provider Holcim Philippines, Inc., the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
By the end of April 2021,491 of the 1,057 housing units planned for the first phase of the project were either completed or under construction. Holcim Philippines has supplied close to 72,000 bags of general-purpose cement Holcim Excel to the project sites in Marawi through its plant in Lugait, Misamis Oriental. Additional 85,000 bags of Holcim Excel will be used for the rest of the houses.
The reconstruction is being led by Marawi residents, 116 of whom were trained and certified by TESDA under Holcim Philippines’ ‘galing Mason program. The masonry skills and certification from TESDA will enable beneficiaries to explore job opportunities in other areas after completing the construction projects in Marawi.
Holcim Philippines Vice President for Communications Cara Ramirez: “We are pleased that this partnership project with the UN-Habitat is progressing well and helping the City of Marawi rise again. This wonderful update is a welcome development as we join the nation for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. The continued recovery of Marawi is a testament to the resilience of Filipinos, and shows how our products are making a difference in the lives of our countrymen and the progress of the nation.”
UN-Habitat Country Programme Manager Christopher Rollo: “Eid Mubarak to our Muslim brothers and sisters! The Rebuilding Marawi Project, funded by the People of Japan, is steadily moving forward towards its goal of providing permanent houses to 1,057 families affected by the 2017 Marawi Siege. The ongoing permanent shelter construction in four resettlement sites and the turnover of Hadiya Village to 109 families are project milestones made possible by various partnerships forged along the course of project implementation. UN-Habitat is grateful for the strong partnership it has built with Holcim Philippines – access to cement is one major aspect of the partnership that kept the construction of houses unhampered amidst the mobility restrictions posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The project is part of a multi-sector effort to rebuild Marawi after a devastating conflict there several years ago that displaced nearly 80,000 families. In addition to UN-Habitat and TESDA, the project is supported by the Government of Japan, the Task Force Bangon Marawi, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
With cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Batangas, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions, Holcim Philippines is a reliable partner of builders in the country.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
Holcim Philippines is a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, the world leader in the building materials industry present in 80 countries with over 75,000 employees.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | May 8, 2018 | Advocacy
Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF), the philanthropic arm of Essilor, the world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, in partnership with the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO), recently launched Marawi 2020, an advocacy campaign dedicated to bringing free eye care and 20,000 eye-glasses to residents of Marawi by year 2020.
It is also set to create a sustainable access to vision care by creating an Eye & Vision Clinic at the Department of Health (DOH) Hospital in Marawi and providing livelihood to local optometrists.
Present during the event were (L-R): Essilor Philippines marketing executive JV Velasco and marketing manager Jinky Navo, EVF ASEAN head Germaine Lye, Marawi City senior consultant on Health and Social Services Dr. Emelda Gandamra-Taib, Essilor regional VP for ASEAN and Korea Kathy Park, Essilor Philippines general manager Dr. Emelita Roleda, Essilor marketing head for AMERA (Asia Pacific, Middle East, Russia and Africa) Ivan Chuavon and Essilor commercial manager Dr. Kyle Galias.
by Penny Angeles-Tan | Jan 31, 2018 | Events
As the violence settles down in Marawi, its denizens’ stories of struggle and personal tragedy are finally starting to come to light.
To authentically capture these stories, CNN Philippines, in partnership with Havas Media Ortega, traveled to ground zero of the conflict, where they were given an unprecedented 45 minutes to explore the war-torn region and get a firsthand glimpse at what happened to the once-bustling city center.
They were accompanied by Moro millennials from MARADECA, a local non-profit that had been sheltering refugees from the city. LG Electronics loaned out two units of its flagship smartphone, the V30+, given to the respondents so that they could capture a unique perspective on the ground.
26-year-old Norliah Deron became a social media figure when she posted a collage of Marawi on her Facebook wall with the question, “Why were they killed?” Her post went viral; within an hour she got over a thousand friend requests. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
The area where Norliah’s house once stood was still considered a dangerous area by the military at the time of her visit to ground zero. She hadn’t seen her house since she left Marawi, and wanted to see what happened to it. She tells a story of how she used to gaze at a nearby basketball court from the third floor of her cousin’s house – she had a crush on a local boy who used to play there. Both her home and her cousin’s home, as well as the basketball court, are likely gone, but her memories remain. Today, though, she can still gaze across the beautiful lake, as she always has. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
Norliah taught the Christians in her group how to say the Shahada, in case ISIS militants stopped them in search of non-Muslims to kill. At one point, they were questioned by a militant who asked why a girl in their group was wearing her hijab incorrectly. Norliah quickly defused the situation by speaking calmly, and teaching the scared girl how to properly wear it. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
In the aftermath of the evacuation, a grieving Norliah was comforted by her colleagues, who said that she may have lost her valuables, but more important than anything else, she is still alive. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
One of the motivations for Norjanah Cosain’s quick escape was the fear that her brother would be recruited by the Mautes. In her haste, Norjanah’s mother-in-law even forgot her savings on her bed, consisting of some P20,000 in cash. All the while, she was using Facebook to stay in constant communication with her husband Najer Hadji Jalel, a MARADECA project staffer, who was out of the country at the time – ironically, for a disaster preparedness workshop. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
Since their escape, Norjanah and her family have been living in an empty lot owned by a wealthy landowner, who generously provided the land and also pays for the electricity. Norjanah reminisces about the home that she left behind, which she and her husband Najer had slowly been building up for the last two years – “ipon and patayo” as she put it. Shortly before the siege, Norjanah had even purchased a brand-new wardrobe and curtains, in preparation for Ramadan. All of these are gone now. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
Just like Norliah Deron, Norjanah grew agitated as she crossed the bridge to Marawi, pointing across the river, saying that her house was right there; she too wanted to jump off the bridge and swim to the other side, to see what remained. She, however, already knew the fate of their home -her Facebook group had shown her the smoldering remains of her house, burned by the Mautes and bombed by the military. (Photos were taken with the LG V30+. This is a project in collaboration between Havas Ortega Group & CNN Philippines.)
While CNN provided traditional news media coverage of the site, the Moro respondents, equipped with the V30+ and its high-end camera, gave a more deeply personal look. Norliah Deron, a young woman who lost her home in the siege, captured a beautiful photo of the lake near the city, across which she used to gaze as a child.
She also took selfies of her and fellow Moros whose lives were disrupted by the war, eyes red and stained with tears but still hopeful for the future. Norjanah Cosain, a millennial mother, and schoolteacher who evacuated her home along with her five children, took photos of the shacks that serve as the temporary homes of more than 30 families.
Through the lens of the V30+, these young women were able to not just tell, but show their story to the world, every detail captured in every shot.
Their photos bear silent testimony to not only the terrors of war but also the indefatigable human spirit, ready to pick themselves up once more even after such tragedy.
Holcim Philippines, Inc. (Philippine Stock Exchange: HLCM) is one of the leading building solution companies in the country. The Company has a deep portfolio of innovative solutions fostered by a full range of products from structuring to finishing applications that can help local builders execute with high performance and efficiency a wide range of projects from massive infrastructure to simple home repairs.
Holcim Philippines is also committed to the highest standards of sustainable operations and manufacturing excellence with its plants certified under ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System), ISO 9001:2008 (Quality Management System), and OHSAS 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System).
Through the lens of the V30+, these young women were able to not just tell, but show their story to the world, every detail captured in every shot.
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