Bicol Afloat: One boat at a time
On a mission to keeping hope afloat, Que Rica is now calling for everyone to help build Bicol Region back by helping, this time, fishermen whose boats have been destroyed by the recent typhoons.
Dubbed “Fleet of Hope,” this initiative of Que Rica (by Rica and Carlo Buenaflor) is a livelihood rehabilitation and recovery initiative for Bicol’s coastal communities. It aims to launch a hundred boats for the fishermen of Bicol at the end of the year.
Each motorized boat costs P50,000.
Que Rica, in a statement, said many fishermen, even before the typhoons and the pandemic, could not afford to eat what they catch.
“It takes 1 year for an Abaca grower and 2 years for a coconut farmer to regain their livelihood as they need to replant the trees and wait for it to grow and bear fruit. But for a fisherman to begin [his] livelihood again, all [he] needs is a boat—and [he] can start feeding [his family] again,” it said.
Que Rica is no stranger to relief operations. Just this past week, it was able to gather P400,000 in donations in partnership with Hayag PH and distribute the same to 1,100 families affected by the typhoon and flooding.
“Now we want to go beyond relief response, and we're calling on the power of people and organizations to work together towards building back livelihoods and the ways of life, by sponsoring motorized fishing boats,” it said.
Que Rica added that contributing organizations and companies may have their brand assets be painted on the pledged boats.
The initiative of Que Rica was part of yesterday’s #GivingTuesday, a global giving movement. Donors may, however, continue giving to this cause through its donation channels: