PAGCOR reaches out to Bicol communities hit by super typhoon “Rolly”
Tue | 11.10.2020 | 07:00 PM
PAGCOR volunteer employees pose with the relief essentials they distributed to typhoon-hit communities in Bicol.
Farmer Ramil Guevarra points at the spot in the middle of a ricefield where their house once stood before it was destroyed by super typhoon Rolly.IMMEDIATE help reached thousands of residents in the Bicol region, who were hit by super typhoon Rolly after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) recently delivered relief essentials to the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur.
Majority of the typhoon victims who lost their homes to devastating winds and heavy rains received food and non-food relief packs from PAGCOR. The agency’s volunteer employees braved heavily damaged roads and the long drive from Manila to Bicol just to bring necessary aid to the beneficiaries.
The food packs distributed by PAGCOR contained rice, instant noodles and canned goods, while non-food items comprised of blankets, mosquito nets and toiletries.
Among those who benefited from PAGCOR’s relief operations were Ramil and Cecille Guevarra, a couple from Pili, Camarines Sur who had to temporarily live with their five children in a shanty, which was built on a rice dryer after their home was completely destroyed by the typhoon.
Ramil’s concern is how to rebuild a decent shelter as his meager earnings from raising ducks and rice farming are barely enough to provide food for his family.
“Hindi ko alam kung paano kami makakapag-simula uli kasi hindi sapat ang kinikita ko para makapag-patayo uli kami ng maayos na tirahan. Pero nagpapa-salamat pa rin kami sa tulong na dumating dahil kahit paano ay hindi namin po-problemahin ang kakainin sa ilang araw,” he said.
PAGCOR’s ongoing relief operations in Bicol started last November 7. The team will also head to the island of Catanduanes, which was first to bear the brunt of the world’s strongest typhoon this year.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo said that while the COVID-19 pandemic has cripppled the agency’s revenues, it will continue to do its best to provide aid to the typhoon victims in Bicol.
“We saw how helpless they are after the super typhoon ruined their houses, livelihood and properties. Some even lost their loved ones. We may not be able to reach out to all of them, but we will do our best to reach out to as many as we can. This pandemic will not hinder us from lending a hand to our kababayans in Bicol,” Domingo explained.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that super typhoon Rolly caused over P11 billion in damages to agriculture and infrastructure. According to NDRRMC, Bicol Region suffered P7.2 billion in damages to infrastructure and P2.3 billion in damages to agriculture