SM Group’s Operation Tulong Express Brings Relief to 5,600 Families Affected by Habagat

Volunteers organize Kalinga Packs ahead of distribution under Operation Tulong Express, SM Foundation's disaster response program conducted in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

SM Foundation's Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) reached about 5,600 families across Pampanga and Dagupan City, distributing Kalinga Packs to communities still recovering from weeks of flooding brought on by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat).

The relief operations followed state of calamity declarations as enhanced Habagat rains submerged communities in both areas for weeks.

An SM Foundation volunteer wades through floodwaters to deliver a Kalinga Pack to a family whose community remains submerged weeks after the Habagat floods. This effort is part of OPTE, SM Foundation’s disaster response initiative dedicated to providing immediate assistance to communities in need.

This September, OPTE, activated through SM City Pampanga and SM City San Fernando Downtown, distributed approximately 4,700 Kalinga Packs to families in the City of San Fernando and the Municipality of Mexico, Pampanga. 

San Fernando and Mexico were among the province's hardest-hit areas, with severe flooding reported in several communities. The relief operations were conducted in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

An elderly resident receives a Kalinga Pack during the relief distribution in the Municipality of Mexico, Pampanga. Older residents were among the hardest hit by the weeks-long flooding, often the least able to evacuate quickly or to rebuild once the water finally receded.

Meanwhile, SM Center Dagupan launched its OPTE last August in Brgy. Mamalingling, distributing Kalinga Packs to 600 families. 

A month later, the program resumed at Barangay Herrero-Perez, Dagupan City, providing packs to another 300 families still recovering from floods that triggered a state of calamity weeks earlier.

SM Foundation volunteers distribute Kalinga Packs to families in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, part of the 300 families reached during the September 19 relief operation.

Since its activation, OPTE has served as the SM Group’s frontline disaster response, with SM Foundation, SM Supermalls, and SM Markets working together to provide assistance to affected communities across the country.