Ople Center, foodpanda partner for BuyAnihan livelihood project
Executives of foodpanda Philippines visit the BuyAnihan Palengke tent to check out products. At left is Dan Marogy, foodpanda managing director with Karan Bashkar, New Verticals director and Lhecks de Castro Jr., foodpanda finance director. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Leading quick commerce platform provider foodpanda has partnered with the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute to expand the BuyAnihan Palengke initiative aimed at helping enterprising Filipinos resell fresh produce supplied directly by farmers.
Dubbed as “Fruits and Veggies Street Fest”, the outdoor food bazaar featured fresh vegetables, fruits and refreshments sold by the program’s beneficiaries.
“This project started as a local program,” said Daniel Marogy, managing director of foodpanda Philippines. He was referring to the program “Salubong sa Carrots Atbp” of the Caloocan City government, through its Caloocan City Drug Abuse Office and the diocese of Caloocan City which provides sustainable livelihood to some of the city’s drug dependents and displaced workers.
“It was the embodiment of the Filipino Bayanihan spirit that this country is known for,” Marogy said.
He said that the special one-day food bazaar on Emerald Avenue in Ortigas marked a new phase of the project.
He also announced the soft launch of the BuyAnihan Palengke Group Buy App which he said “will help the program reach a wider market and make affordable fresh produce even more accessible to consumers.”
“As we move forward with this project, BuyAnihan Palengke will be known not just as a CSR initiative but as a revolutionary social enterprise powered by a technology platform,” Marogy said.
During the Ortigas food bazaar, a tent was set up to serve as recruitment venue for new resellers and also to orient visitors on how the app works.
Staying true to its objective of providing the underserved sector with a source of income, BuyAnihan Palengke’s resellers now include repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), local farmers, out-of-school youths, and solo parents, among others. It is also opening its doors to interested resellers as well as foodpanda’s own partner delivery riders.
The outdoor food bazaar was the first collaboration between foodpanda and Ople Center, a labor non-profit organization (NGO) and a known advocate of initiatives that aid struggling Filipinos looking for livelihood.
“Unemployment and the lack of alternative sources of livelihood are two of the most serious economic problems we are facing today,” said Susan Ople, president of Blas F. Ople Center.
“This project is a timely solution,” Ople said.
Under the BuyAnihan program, OFWs and riders will be trained to prepare them for their new journey as resellers.
“We strive to innovate and look for more ways to help our stakeholders,” said Leopoldo De Castro, foodpanda Philippines finance director.
The BuyAnihan Palengke project aims for more projects and partnerships to create more livelihood opportunities, better prices for farmers and fresh quality produce for consumers.
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