AirAsia announced its first grant to Philippine emergency response cycling network Bike Scouts on Friday, 15th November.

The endowment was timely as the Philippines braced itself for the onslaught of super-typhoon Man-yi which hit the country over the weekend.

According to AirAsia Philippines chief executive Ricky Isla: “Each year the Philippines is visited by an average of 20 typhoons, which have left devastating impacts on communities, taking away precious lives and properties. This partnership between Bike Scouts and AirAsia Foundation is a testament of our commitment to supporting local communities in our destinations in building disaster resilience and taking climate action.”

Bike Scouts founder Myles Delfin added: “This grant is important to us as it allows our local teams in the most disaster vulnerable areas to be trained and be ready for the typhoon season. Building resilience is not a one time check-list, it requires constant effort and we’re thankful to have AirAsia’s support in this journey.” 

Ample preparation

The AirAsia grant worth nearly US$10,000 will be used to fund the organisation’s disaster preparedness program ahead of the upcoming typhoon season, enabling the Bike Scouts to organise disaster resilience workshops for more than 200 responders in typhoon-risk areas. 

Among skills that will be addressed in the workshop include emergency response, radio communication, disaster monitoring and bicycle safety and maintenance. 

Training sessions will be held in Manila and Cebu, as well as at-risk communities from provinces such as Ilocos Norte, Benguet, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, and Eastern Samar. 

The organisation will also set aside a standby fund that can be utilised to reach survivors isolated by a storm.