CLOSE TO HOME Residents pick up the pieces after mud, boulders and other typhoon debris laid their homes to waste in Camalig town, Albay province. —MARK ALVIC ESPLANA
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government is opening a drop off center outside the City Hall and other strategic areas in the city for those who want to donate food, water, medicine, hygiene kits, and other essentials for the typhoon victims in Northern Luzon.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said that even though the city is suffering from the economic impact of the pandemic, it is called for local government units in the country to help the provinces ravaged by Supertyphoon Rolly.
The city government may not be able to provide cash or financial assistance to Catanduanes, Quirino, Quezon Provinces, and Albay, but the city will try to provide as many relief goods as it can.
“We will set up donation drop off centers outside the City Hall area and at strategic areas in the city for our brothers and sisters who want to help. We discourage donating used clothing since these are not victims of fire, but we highly encourage canned goods, bottled water, and hygiene kits,” said the mayor.
Drop-off centers are stationed at Fuente Osmeña, Plaza Independencia, and other areas for people to deliver their relief goods to.
Instead of financial assistance, the city government will just buy more relief goods and bottled water for the victims of the typhoon as a form of help,
Most importantly, Labella said they will be sending disaster teams to help with the clearing of areas where trees have fallen, landslides have destroyed, and infrastructure has collapsed.
The sending of the teams will be the priority as Catandanues and its neighboring provinces are in dire need of manpower to clear the typhoon aftermath.
“We will prioritize sending the teams then the donations will follow,” said the mayor. /rcg