Red Cross delivers relief aids to Catanduanes

By Cet Dematera

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has delivered again on Saturday until Sunday (Nov. 28-29) non-food relief aids, this time through a ship, to the island-province of Catanduanes that was heavily battered by Typhoons “Quinta,” “Rolly” and “Ulysses” in the past weeks.

M/V Amazing Grace, the PRC ship, was loaded with thousands of non-food items that include hygiene kits, blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, 10-liter and 20-litter jerry cans, and galvanized iron sheets to be used for roofing repair as part of PRC’s recovery efforts for those whose homes suffered damages due to the typhoons.

In an official press release, PRC chairman and chief executive officer, Sen. Richard Gordon, said that they utilized the services of M/V Amazing Grace, the only humanitarian vessel in the country, to deliver the badly needed relief materials considering the challenges of reaching an island province ravaged by strong typhoons.

“M/V PRC Amazing Grace is instrumental in our efforts to help our kababayan here in Catanduanes. To have all these relief efforts be delivered quicker ensures that our kababayan can also recover the soonest,” Gordon said.

Gordon put emphasis on PRC’s efforts to quickly put roofs above the heads of affected families as he feels that, “Kung ikaw ay binagyo at nawalan ng bahay, sisiguruhin mong magkakaroon agad ng masisilungan ang pamilya mo. Kaya tutulungan namin silang makabangon at maiangat ang dignidad nila.” (If you are hit by typhoon and lost your house, you will ensure that your family could immediately find a shelter. That’s why we will help them to rise again and elevate their dignity.)

M/V PRC Amazing Grace also transported three additional vehicles, a Willy jeep, a Toyota Hilux and a minivan, to aid in the operations and relief distributions in Catanduanes and other affected areas in the Bicol region.

Gov. Joseph “Boboy” Cua has been requesting for assistance after all the three typhoons that hit Bicol left massive devastations to the province.

Some 15,000 houses were flattened after super Typhoon “Rolly” barrelled through the island with up to 260 kilometers per hour wind force, then followed by Ulysses that brought torrential rains, which inundated houses and triggered landslides in areas least hit by the first howler.

Aside from PRC, several local governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) had sent cash and in-kind assistance to Catanduanes, particularly sacks of rice and bottled mineral water.