Paying it forward: Cebu officials, groups initiate donation drive to help Misamis Occ. flood victims
This handout photo taken on December 25, 2022 and received on December 26 from the Philippine Coast Guard shows rescuers evacuating people from a flooded area in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental. Two people were killed and nearly 46,000 others fled their homes as Christmas Day floods dampened the mainly Catholic Philippines’s most important holiday, civil defence officials said on December 26. (Photo by Handout / Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / AFP)
CEBU CITY, Philippines – It’s our turn to help them.
This was the message several local officials and non-government groups in Cebu conveyed as they opened donation drives to help flood victims in Misamis Occidental.
Cebu 1st District Rep. Rhea Gullas took to social media to announce that her office will accept donations, in kind and in cash, intended for the thousands affected by the massive floods in the northern Mindanao province.
“Misamis was one of the first to help us during Typhoon Odette. This time, it’s our turn to give a helping hand to our brothers and sisters affected by the recent flooding in their hometown,” she said.
Gullas also urged her constituents to help flood victims get back on their feet.
“Dako kaayo ang trahedya nga gi experience sa atong mga kaigsuonan sa Misamis, mao nang abot sa atong makaya, let us make their Christmas a little happier with the help we can give,” she added.
Other non-government organizations (NGOs) have also launched their respective donation drives like the University Student Council of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) and the University of San Carlos (USC) arm of the Rotaract Club of Cebu Fuente.
The shear line has brought non-stop rains in Misamis Occidental since December 24, 2022, resulting in massive floods that displaced thousands of residents.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported on Wednesday, December 28 that they have already recorded 25 fatalities related to the weather phenomenon.
Twenty-six individuals remain missing, nine were injured while at least 393,069 have been displaced by the heavy rainfall that triggered massive flooding in parts of the Visayas, Mindanao and Southern Luzon as the nation welcomed Christmas Day.
Most of these deaths were reported in Northern Mindanao, with 16. Five deaths were logged in the Bicol region and two each in Eastern Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
Damage to the agriculture sector was pegged at P63,874,087.2 while damage to infrastructure was estimated to be around P2,050,000, said the NDRRMC.
The municipality of Llorente, Eastern Samar, and Gingoong City, Misamis Oriental have likewise been palced under a state of calamity, according to the NDRRMC.
The shear line began to trigger rain over parts of Luzon and Visayas on December 18. A low-pressure area (LPA) also formed and its effects combined with the shear line. with reports from INQUIRER.net
/bmjo
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