Mercy mission started with GMAvow to old lady

14 December 2006

By Juan Escandor Jr.and Ephraim Aguilar
Inquirer Southern Luzon

PILI, CAMARINES SUR—A RELIEF CARavan of 270 vehicles, moved by President Macapagal-Arroyo’s promise of help to an old woman and other victims of Supertyphoon “Reming,” arrived here amid cheers from residents yesterday morning.

But the bulk of the convoy of Malacañang’s “Mayon Mercy Mission” proceeded to Legazpi City in Albay, which suffered the brunt of Reming among the Bicol provinces, after a brief ceremony to turn over a P15-million calamity assistance from the President to Camarines Sur and P6 million from the House of Representatives.

Ms Arroyo visited Albay last week after the supertyphoon struck on Nov. 30, claiming hundreds of lives and damaging billions of pesos worth of property. Another typhoon, “Seniang,” hit the Visayas a week later and sideswiped Bicol. (See related story on Page A16.)

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said that when she arrived in Manila from Bicol, the President immediately called him up and ordered him to organize the mercy mission to respond immediately to the disaster.

Andaya said the old woman had embraced Ms Arroyo in Legazpi and told her “not to forget them.” The incident might have left a lasting image in the President’s mind which prompted her to launch the mercy mission, he said.

The caravan of trucks, loaded with assorted food and nonfood items worth P200 million, and earth-moving heavy equipment left Manila on Tuesday. According to local officials, Albay will receive 40 percent of the relief goods, followed by Camarines Sur, 30 percent; Catanduanes, 20 percent, and Sorsogon, 10 percent.

Bayani Fernando, chair of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and head of the mercy mission, said the local governments of Metro Manila pooled together most of the resources and assistance.

Among the items for immediate distribution to the typhoon victims are iron sheets for roofing, nails, plywood, lumber, clothes, foodstuffs and drinking water.

Fernando said the heavy equipment and trucks would be used to clear and clean the areas ravaged by the supertyphoon to prevent the spread of diseases and improve sanitation.

Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte said the provincial government was thankful that funds to rehabilitate and rebuild schools had been coming in.

Damaged schools

Although his province has suffered only a number of casualties, Villafuerte said damage to school facilities and other government infrastructure facilities could run to as much as P1 billion, including those previously damaged by Typhoon “Milenyo.”

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Ms Arroyo ordered the transmission to Congress of a P10-billion additional budget request for the provinces ravaged by five strong typhoons that hit the country this year, Andaya said. The amount would be included in the 2007 national budget for the rehabilitation all over the country of areas damaged by typhoons in 2006.

At least three mayors from Metro Manila have joined the caravan to bring their contributions and to show their sympathy to victims of the calamity.

Metro mayors’ aid

Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte of Quezon City announced that his government had allocated P10 million for the seven provinces severely damaged by Reming. Of the amount, P3 million would be given to Camarines Sur.

Mayor Pedro Cuerpo of Rodriguez, Rizal, said municipal employees had responded to the call for help of Bicolanos by foregoing their traditional Christmas party and giving instead P250,000 for the victims.

Pateros Mayor Rosendo Capco said that even though his town is the smallest among the Metro Manila local governments, he joined the mission as a gesture of sympathy and concern.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development would be the one to divide the truckloads of relief assistance among the six typhoon-hit provinces in Bicol, said Chief Supt. Victor Boco, chair of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council.

The provincial disaster coordinating councils, headed by the governors, will divide the goods among the 31 affected municipalities, while the municipal disaster coordinating councils will divide it among the more than 2,364 affected villages.

Boco added that the P200 million spent for the relief goods was not part of the P1 billion that Malacañang ordered released through the National Disaster Coordinating Council for relief and rehabilitation efforts in areas affected by Typhoons “Paeng,” “Queenie” and “Milenyo.”

Gratitude

Goods intended for Camarines Sur were also brought to Albay yesterday, but bringing them back to the province would be a problem after the concrete Travesia Bridge in Guinobatan town collapsed yesterday from the weight of trucks and equipment.

Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzales, who has supervised the relief operations since “Reming” struck, thanked Ms Arroyo for the relief caravan, as well as the foreign governments, government and private agencies, nongovernment organizations and individuals who gave donations in cash and kind.

“Their help has certainly gone a long way to ease the sufferings of Albayanos,” Gonzales said.