MORE opportunities are on the horizon for the people of Barangay Simlong and Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba, Batangas City following the inauguration of the JG Summit Olefins expanded manufacturing facility led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday, January 19.

For the residents of Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba and Simlong of Batangas City, it is a welcome opportunity for them and they hope that the expansion project will pave the way for more assistance from the government and private sector. 

“They have been providing scholarships to the children, especially those who are in Junior High School. [Because of them] Valedictorians also receive scholarships at the University of Batangas until they finish college,” Liezel Cabingan, Barangay Secretary of Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba, shared with the Philippine Information Agency.

Cabigan said the corporate social responsibility program of the JGSOC entitled the Abot Kamay Project is beneficial for the livelihood of women and makes them more active members of the community by providing livelihood for their families. 

“Aside from their scholarship programs, they also have a program called Abot Kamay which provides free school supplies. They also have livelihood programs for women, like rug making, which they sell. [Of course] Many of our residents are currently working in the plant.” Rufo Caraigan, Barangay Simlong chairperson said.

With the help of the JG Summit, Caraigan said they are also pushing to provide comfort rooms for lacking households. They have started conducting surveys to determine the number of families who may benefit from this project.

To date, JG Summit has provided jobs for 33 percent of residents of Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba, and 40 percent of residents in Barangay Pinamucan Itaas.

Families were provided food supplies, medicines, and free medical services for every household in the community, Residents said that JGSOC conducts this every year, with the assistance of their barangays.

JG Summit has also been a stable partner of the Provincial Government of Batangas in caring for the environment. In 2016, it launched the One Million Trees Project, in collaboration with the Batangas Provincial Government, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines to plant one million indigenous and fruit-bearing tree seedlings until 2023.

Cabingan said: “They also provide materials for planting and hydroponics. It’s up to the barangay to train the residents about hydroponics. They also provide solar lights for every sitio.”

For the city government of Batangas, they welcome the expansion of the corporation that has already left a positive impact to its people.

“This expansion of JG Summit is very beneficial for our city. This means more jobs and more employment opportunities for our people.” said Batangas City Mayor Beverly Dimacuha.

JGSOC vows to continue its efforts in helping the government improve the livelihood of its host barangays by providing job opportunities for the parents, and educational support to the children for the foreseeable future. (PB/PIA-4A)