AirAsia awards Philippine grassroots network with PHP550,000 disaster preparedness grant

Photo caption: [R-L] Ricky Isla (Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Philippines) and Elaine Tan (Manager of AirAsia Foundation) presenting the grant to Myles Delfin (Founder of Bike Scouts), Beth Perez (Team Leader of Bike Scouts), and Kevin Soler (Team Leader of Bike Scouts)

MANILA, 15 November 2024 - AirAsia today announced a first grant to Philippine emergency response cycling network Bike Scouts to fund the organization’s disaster preparedness program ahead of the upcoming typhoon season. 

The grant, amounting to PHP 562,750 or US$10,000, is awarded via AirAsia’s philanthropic arm AirAsia Foundation, to enable Bike Scouts to organize 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 organization will also set aside a standby fund that can be utilized to reach survivors isolated by a storm. 

Bike Scouts is a volunteer-driven disaster monitoring platform with a network of over 100,000 members across the Philippines. Founded in 2013, this community-based initiative bridges the gap in accessing vital information in rural areas, using bicycles to reach places that are difficult to access by larger vehicles during emergencies. In the past decade, they have provided aid for 10 natural disasters, helping over 700,000 residents.

AirAsia Philippines Chief Executive Officer Ricky Isla said, "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.”

“It is amongst our priorities to help communities adapt to climate change as part of our broader sustainability efforts. We believe that every company and individual has a responsibility to take action. 

Bike Scouts Founder Myles Delfin said, “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.” 

“Over the past eleven years, our local Bike Scouts teams have been the first responders to severe disasters, from typhoons to earthquakes, within their communities. These experiences prove the value of empowering people in communities directly with essential knowledge, skills, tools, and a strong support network to respond effectively in times of crisis,” Delfin added.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), up to 14 tropical cyclones are expected between August and December 2024. Preparing communities for disaster response is crucial to enhancing their resilience and capacity to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.