Caritas appeals for help in raising P5.8M for Mindanao storm victims

Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Church, is urging the faithful to help it raise P5.8 million for its relief efforts for the victims of severe Tropical Storm “Vinta” in Mindanao.

Caritas, or the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa), made the appeal on Wednesday over Church-run Radio Veritas in a bid to gather voluntary donations for 3,000 families affected by the storm.

“Initially, we are launching a 5.8 million pesos appeal for at least 3,000 families or 15,000 persons severely affected by the devastation of Vinta,” Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Nassa executive secretary, said.

Caritas also launched an online solidarity donation campaign through its Alay Kapwa program.

“We enjoin everyone to support the church’s online solidarity campaign to gather additional funds for the relief and early recovery efforts,” Gariguez said.

Donations may be deposited through Nassa/Caritas Philippines’ Alay Kapwa account at the Bank of the Philippine Islands, with account no: 4951-0071-08 and account name: CBCP Caritas Filipinas Foundation Inc.

The call for donations will cover the purchase of food packs and hygiene kits, as well as improving the affected areas’ capacity for emergency preparedness and response.

Covered by the fund-raising project are the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte.

Earlier, the Archdiocese of Manila’s own Caritas Manila released P1.8 million in aid to churches in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay and the cities of Butuan, Tagum, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Marawi and Dipolog.

Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona, who is also Nassa national director, lamented that the storm hit the region as it was still reeling from the five-month siege of Marawi.

“This is very unfortunate especially that we are still rising from the heavy damage brought about by the siege,” he said. “But Filipinos are resilient and generous alike. We will be able to stand strong against these challenges.”