In the early morning of September 20, a big chunk of a mountain in Barangay Tinaan in Naga City, south Cebu (top photo), came tumbling towards an unsuspecting community nestled at its feet, burying houses and their owners in what has been touted as the deadliest landslide to hit Cebu in recent times. What followed were days of frantic search and rescue operations with modest success. Nine days after the tragedy, the death toll stands at 72 with more expected to be dug in the coming days.
CDN photo/ Lito Tecson
MORE DONATIONS ARRIVE
Donations in cash and in kind never stopped pouring in for those affected by the killer landslide that hit Barangay Tinaan in Naga City, south Cebu, more than a week ago.
As of 3 p.m. on Saturday (Sept. 29), cash donations already totaled P8,090,657.25 which the local government said will be used to sustain the landslide survivors housed in at least 11 evacuation centers.
Also yesterday, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Cebu Chapter (KBP-Cebu Chapter) led by its president, Fr. Bobby Ebisa, also organized a relief operation for the survivors of the tragedy using the money intended for the closing party of the Broadcasters Month celebration.
The group’s officers and members decided that instead of using the P100,000 allocated for the closing party, they will just use the money for the relief operation.
The group packed rice, T-shirts and hygiene materials (laundry and bathing soaps and shampoos) good for more than 200 families.
Fr. Ebisa likewise offered a Mass at the Naga City covered tennis court for those who perished from the landslide.
The cancellation of the closing party for the Broadcasters Month celebration was, according to Ebisa, supported by all the members of their organization.
“Di man sad ma tun sa konsyensya nga mag lingaw lingaw ka unya naay hudyaka unya daghan sa kaigsoonan nato ang nangamatay og missing,” said Ebisa. (We just can’t have it in our conscience to have a party when many of our brothers and sisters are suffering.)
Also yesterday, the MinebeaMitsumi Cebu turned over around 700 family hygiene kits to the Naga City government for distribution.
Each kit contains of a bar of laundry soap, powdered soap, bath soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, sanitary napkins, tissues, cotton, and alcohol.
The massive landslide that hit Naga City also showed the bayanihan spirit of the Cebuanos as volunteers flock to donation centers to help in the repacking of relief goods. Some psychology students from different schools also volunteered to conduct debriefing activities in different evacuation centers for the ones most affected by the tragedy – the children.
CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON and contributed photo/ DSWD
Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong also reiterated her appeal for more hygiene kits for the families in the evacuation centers while Leah Quintana, information officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) reminded the public to donate only usable items.
