Japanese furniture chain Nitori turns over P37.5M donation for Mindanao earthquake victims

General Santos City – Japan’s largest home-furnishing company, Nitori, formally turns over P37.5 million in combined financial and in-kind donations for victims of the earthquake that struck Mindanao last June.

The total amount comprises P30 million in monetary assistance, which will fund the construction of temporary shelter pods for families whose homes were destroyed by the magnitude 7.8 tremor in the Southern Philippines.

Coursed through the Office of First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and the Department of Tourism (DOT), the donations were formally turned over in a ceremonial signing of a memorandum of agreement between Nitori and the GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) on Tuesday (July 21) in General Santos City.

The donations will benefit some of the hardest-hit parts of Mindanao, including General Santos City, and the municipalities of Malapatan, Tupi, Jose Abad Santos, Alabel, and Glan.

According to Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay, the assistance from the Japanese chain came about when she showed Nitori Chairman Akio Nitori a video of Filipino students responding to the sudden earthquake.

“Malalim ang naging epekto nito kay Mr. Nitori. What he saw was not simply a disaster. He saw courage,” the tourism Chief said.

“Because behind every disaster are people who possess the strength to recover, rebuild, and move forward. Kapag naapektuhan ang isang komunidad, hindi nawawala ang tapang, pagkakaisa, at kakayahan nitong bumangon,” she added.

It was during one of the meetings attended by the tourism chief, the First Lady, and major property developers in the country that Mr. Nitori pledged the said donation.

“Ito ang tunay na malasakit. This is the common thread that connects the First Couple, the Kapuso Foundation, and Mr. Nitori: compassion that becomes action; concern that becomes assistance; and success that becomes a responsibility to help others [...] Ang malasakit ay hindi lamang katangian ng mga Pilipino. Ito ay katangian ng tao,” she said.

“We have also seen the compassion and leadership of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, including through initiatives such as Lab for All, which brings essential services closer to communities that need them most. These efforts remind us that compassion must be organized. It must be translated into action. It must reach people where they are,” she continued.

Mr. Nitori’s personal donations have already been deposited with the GMAKF, which will oversee the construction of the shelters, communal hygiene stations, toilets, handwashing pods, bath spaces, and laundry facilities.

Based on the Foundation’s initial plans, each shelter pod will measure 16 square meters and will have an extended roof to allow outdoor cooking.

Using light but sturdy materials, the pods are only intended to provide temporary housing until a more stable settlement is completed for the earthquake victims.

According to the Foundation, the pods will be turned over to the respective local government units for their caretaking.

“The Kapuso Nitori temporary shelter pods are designed to give affected families dignity, privacy, and protection against the rain and cold as we are near the typhoon season,” GMA Senior Vice President Annette Gozon-Valdez said.

Community distribution

Apart from monetary assistance, Nitori also provided P7.5 million worth of material donations in the form of about 8,000 high-quality Nitori beddings, blankets, pillow sheets, plasticware, and other household essentials.

More than 3,500 sets of said Nitori products will be distributed across Mindanao, specifically in the municipalities of Glan, Alabel, Maasim, Polomolok, and Jose Abad Santos.

Around 1,000 families in Malapatan, Sarangani, were the first to receive the goods directly from the principal donors.

According to Nitori Chairman Akio Nitori, the donations aim to help the affected families rebuild and recuperate from the damage brought by the earthquake.

“Today we are here with a sincere desire to offer support and encouragement. We hope that our assistance will give a sense of comfort and hope as you continue moving forward,” said the chairman in Japanese.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Sarangani province last June 8 triggered a tsunami warning and devastated key infrastructure in many parts of Mindanao. Department of Tourism