Red Cross goes where calamities hit
MANGATAREM— The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) released emergency cash assistance to some 1,314 families in this town and another 644 in Calasiao who were affected by monsoon rains and Typhoon Ompong to help them cope with their difficulties.
Senator Richard Gordon, also PRC chairman, said the P3,000 each given to the beneficiaries in Mangatarem on Oct. 21 will help them “to have something to start with and with dignity”.
He explained why PRC did not distribute more relief goods to typhoon-affected families because many agencies already provided relief goods to them.
Mangatarem Mayor Ramil Ventenilla said those living by the riverside along the Agno River were the recipients of Red Cross assistance.
Florame Magalong, PRC provincial head in Pangasinan, said PRC also extended similar emergency cash assistance to 644 typhoon-affected families in Calasiao on Oct. 18.
Gordon advised the beneficiaries to teach themselves and their children to rise from every time life’s storms. “We should not rely or depend on someone or something because if we do, we keep on blaming others,” he said.
Gordon said he seeks help from concerned people by asking them to give something in return to disaster-stricken families.
Patrick Eliot, head of operations of the International Federation of Red Cross that provided the funds distributed, arrived to witness the event.
Gordon said PRC is everywhere, not just giving blood but has helped 86,000 Typhoon Yolanda-affected families rebuild their houses.
In Pangasinan alone, about 641 houses have been built for typhoon-affected residents in Dagupan City, Rosales and Bayambang.
He said PRC was also in Dagupan after the city was hit by an earthquake in 1990 that destroyed many buildings in the city.
PRC also has 148 ambulances that already helped save 50,000 lives in road accidents and other calamities.
In thanking PRC, Ventenilla told his constituents “maybe you would now believe that after a storm, there’s a blessing comes.”
In response, PRC governor Rachel Arenas said PRC always extends a helping hand without expecting anything in return. (PhilStar Wire Service).
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