Medellin to give aid to elderly, disabled

One month after the devastation of supertyphoon Yolanda, the Medellin municipal government is focusing its relief operations on the elderly, children and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

“As I said we are concentrating on the sectors that are most vulnerable. And there are still a lot of private groups who are coming to Medellin giving relief,” Medellin Mayor Ricardo Ramirez said.

He said senior citizens, persons with disabilities, daycare children and severely malnourished children in the municipal social welfare office’s list will get their separate share of the relief goods.

Free snacks will also be distributed everyday to everyone who will attend the dawn masses in the town’s three parishes on Dec. 16, the traditional start of the annual Simbang Gabi or dawn Mass.

Patients confined at the district hospital in Bogo who are from Medellin and those confined at the town’s rural center will also be given relief packs.

Power restored

Almost 70 percent of Medellin has had power restored after 48 of the damaged poles and 20 percent of the damaged transformers were replaced.

“The Cebu Electric Cooperative is assuring us that power will be restored before Christmas,” Municipal Planning and Development Officer Giles Anthony Villamor said.

Ramirez said Christmas lights are already up at the municipal plaza to help children and the elderly forget the trauma of the Nov. 8 devastation.

“We would like to show to our people that not even Yolanda can prevent our children from having Christmas. We want to serve as a beacon of hope for the affected families, give inspiration that we managed to stave off defeat,” he said.

Electricians from southern Cebu towns and some from Davao rushed to northern Cebu to help in restoring power, Ramirez said.

With power restored, pumping stations of Medellin’s water systems were fully operational in barangays Antipolo, Mahawak, Don Virgilio, Dayhagon, Canhabagat, Lamintak Sur and Lamitank Norte.

Water systems in these areas had been powered by generators lent by private companies and local government units like Aloguinsan.

These generator sets are now powering water systems in the remaining barangays like Caputatan Norte which is relying on a water tank donated by the Norwegian Church Aid group. Power was also restored at the Bogo-Medellin Milling Company last Dec. 2, ensuring the start of the harvest and milling of sugarcane this month, instead of next year as the company earlier projected.