CenPEG, other volunteers bring relief to Montalban typhoon victims
(CenPEG, Oct. 6, 2009) - Volunteers from the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), together with Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay, an urban poor organization), Kalayag Foundation, and Mariners Polytechnic Training Center (MPTC) became one with the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in remote barangay (village). San Jose Montalban, Rizal as they conducted a relief mission for hundreds of displaced families last October 1.
Typhoon Ondoy, which hit the country on September 26, left several communities in Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, and Zambales under water. The typhoon also left 373,675 families in need of immediate relief with their homes inundated, properties lost, and even members of their families missing (http://www.cdrc-phil.com). Some P8.3 billion worth of property was lost, as of the latest count.
Until CenPEG and its partner institutions arrived, San Jose had been largely missed out in relief operations because of the flooded and extremely muddy roads leading to the village which lies by the river. With the bus provided by MPTC, the relief team inched their way through the narrow and muddy streets leading to the calamity area.
The team of more than 50 volunteers composed of students, professors, and employees from the three organizations distributed packs of relief goods to more than 500 families. Relief packs included clothes, rice, canned goods, bread, instant noodles, and other ready-to-eat foods as well as medicine.
Kadamay’s emeritus chairperson Carmen “Ka Mameng” Deunida, CenPEG’s Execeutive Director Evita Jimenez, and MPTC’s Merle San Pedro were also on hand to help and reach out to the victims of the typhoons. They gave out encouraging and empowering messages of hope to the people, while mobilizing them to seek and demand for the rightful relief that they should be getting from the government during in times of calamities. |
