(From right): GMA Kapuso Foundation Trustee Annette Gozon-Valdez, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Nitori Chairman Akio Nitori, and Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay lead the distribution of Nitori items to some 1,000 residents of Malapatan, Sarangani, on Tuesday (July 21)
DOT
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos played a key role in facilitating a ₱37.5-million donation from Japanese furniture giant Nitori for families displaced by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao last month.
The assistance, coursed through the Office of the First Lady and the Department of Tourism (DOT), was formally turned over during the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Nitori and the GMA Kapuso Foundation in General Santos City on Tuesday.
"My heartfelt thanks to Chairman Akio Nitori and Nitori Holdings for their generosity, and to the GMA Kapuso Foundation for helping bring comfort and hope to the families affected by the Mindanao earthquake," the First Lady said in a Facebook post.
She said the donation would provide temporary shelter pods and essential bedding for displaced families.
"Through their kindness, temporary shelter pods and essential bedding were provided to displaced families—giving them not just a safe place to rest, but a sense of security as they begin rebuilding their lives," she said.
The donation consists of ₱30 million in cash for the construction of temporary shelter pods and ₱7.5 million worth of relief items, including around 8,000 beddings, blankets, pillowcases, plasticware, and other household essentials.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the assistance would benefit earthquake-hit communities in General Santos City and the municipalities of Malapatan, Tupi, Jose Abad Santos, Alabel, and Glan.
She said Nitori Chairman Akio Nitori decided to help after watching a video of Filipino students responding to the earthquake.
"What he saw was not simply a disaster. He saw courage," Angara-Mathay said.
She added that the donation was pledged during a meeting attended by the First Lady, the tourism chief, and major property developers.
The GMA Kapuso Foundation will oversee the construction of temporary shelter pods, communal hygiene stations, toilets, handwashing facilities, bath areas, and laundry spaces.
Each 16-square-meter shelter pod will serve as temporary housing until permanent settlements are completed and will later be turned over to local government units.
More than 3,500 sets of Nitori products will be distributed across Mindanao, with about 1,000 families in Malapatan, Sarangani among the first recipients.
Akio Nitori said the donation was intended to help affected families recover and rebuild after the disaster.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Sarangani on 8 June triggered a tsunami warning and caused widespread damage across parts of Mindanao.
