After a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked the Soccsksargen Region, the first concern for many displaced families was simple but urgent: where to find clean, safe drinking water.

Recognizing that need, Manila Water (MW) immediately mobilized its AGAPAY: WASH in Emergencies program through its corporate social arm Manila Water Foundation (MWF) and Manila Water Philippine Ventures, MW’s domestic expansion arm tasked with bringing world-class water and wastewater solutions beyond the MW’s service area in Metro Manila.

Working hand in hand with Manny Pacquiao Holdings and the Sarangani Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the AGAPAY: WASH team brought much-needed water relief to the hardest-hit municipalities of Malapatan and Glan. A mobile treatment plant (MTP) and a 10-cubic meter water tanker of Cebu Manila Water Development, Inc. were deployed to Malapatan River, where water was treated on-site and made safe for drinking. 

Over the next four days, the MTP supplied potable water to 4,660 residents of Barangays Libi, Sapu Padidu and Sapu Masla in Malapatan. Another 20,216 residents from Barangays Poblacion, Ilaya, Pangyan and Taluya in Glan also received clean water. 

By 14 June, the relief teams had treated and distributed a total of 25,500 liters of potable water to displaced families. 

Over the 10-day emergency deployment, 82,000 liters of potable water reached more than 58,000 earthquake-affected individuals.

For residents who had lost access to reliable water sources, every container filled meant one less worry amid the uncertainty left by the earthquake. Community leaders and evacuees expressed their gratitude, noting that the relief operation not only met their daily household and hygiene needs but also helped reduce the risk of waterborne diseases in evacuation areas.

The earthquake response of MW followed another relief operation by the water company. Weeks earlier, Mayon Volcano’s renewed activity blanketed communities in Albay with ashfall, MWF partnered with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Corporate Office (MWSS-CO) to provide relief to affected residents of Barangay Magapo in Tabaco City.

During a ceremonial turnover of donations, MW chief operating officer Arnold Mortera, regulatory management group head Eva Clemente, and MWF executive director Reginald Andal formally handed over donations to MWSS Administrator Engr. Leonor Cleofas. The assistance included more than 250 blankets and mosquito nets, along with 100 five-gallon containers of drinking water that were immediately delivered to families coping with the effects of volcanic ashfall.

“The MWSS extends its deepest gratitude to the Manila Water Company and Manila Water Foundation for their generous donation of 100 units of five-gallon water containers deployed by the MWSS last 25 May 2026,” Cleofas said. “The badly needed drinking water complements the MWSS’s essential relief supplies of blankets and mosquito nets for the affected residents of Barangay Magapo in Tabaco City, Albay during the recent Mayon Volcano eruption. This exemplifies how corporate social responsibility transforms our resources into a lifeline for vulnerable communities during environmental crises.”

Whether responding to earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, MW continues to emphasize that effective disaster response depends on strong partnerships. Through collaboration with government agencies, private organizations, and local communities, the company remains committed to helping families recover from climate- and disaster-related emergencies through AGAPAY: WASH in Emergencies, which rapidly delivers water, sanitation and hygiene interventions in calamity-stricken communities. By providing potable water, hygiene supplies, and emergency sanitation facilities, the program helps bridge critical water access gaps while protecting the health, dignity and resilience of affected populations.

The AGAPAY: WASH operations also form part of the broader humanitarian response of the companies and foundations of the Razon Group, demonstrating how coordinated public-private partnerships can deliver timely and meaningful assistance when communities need it most.