PAGCOR delivers timely aid to landslide typhoon victims in Central and Northern Luzon
Thu | Sep. 27, 2018 | 1:30 PM
PAGCOR President and COO Alfredo Lim (middle), Director Reynaldo Concordia (right) and Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Jimmy Bondoc (left) inspect the relief packs for distribution to the victims of typhoon Ompong in Itogon, Benguet.
PAGCOR volunteers help prepare the relief packs for the typhoon victims who are still housed in temporary shelters.
After Typhoon Ompong wreaked havoc and caused huge landslides in Itogon, Benguet, death toll in the area continues to rise.
Aside from Itogon, Benguet, Typhoon Ompong also left a trail of destruction in La Trinidad, Benguet – where many strawberry and vegetable farms suffered huge damages.
AS the sound of howling winds and heavy rains combined to form an eerie symphony on the morning of September 14, Melissa Anablon could not help but recall the horrors of the landslide incident that claimed the life of his husband Rogelio in 2009.
“Kasagsagan po noon ng paghagupit ng bagyong Peping, napakalakas din ng hangin at ulan, nang gumuho ang lupang kinatititrikan ng bahay namin at kasamang matabunan ng lupa at putik ang mister ko,” she tearfully narrated after super typhoon Ompong triggered another landslide in their community in Barangay Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet and buried yet again their home under mounds of earth and mud.
Anablon was among the hundreds of residents in Barangay Puguis forcibly evacuated by the local government on September 13, a day before the tropical cyclone made a landfall and devastated provinces in Central and Northern Luzon. They are staying at an evacuation center recently visited by volunteers from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to distribute relief packs containing rice, assorted grocery items and water to 147 families.
PAGCOR immediately sent teams in heavily-affected areas three days after the typhoon struck to deliver timely assistance to thousands of individuals whose properties and livelihood were ravaged by the strongest weather disturbance to hit the country this year.
The state gaming firm, led by President and COO Alfredo Lim, also provided financial assistance to some families of the fatalities during a landslide in Barangay Ucab, Itogon, Benguet. More than 500 families in said community likewise received relief packs from the agency.
“Napakahirap po sa aming mga naiwan na nawala po ang aming mga mahal sa buhay sa ganitong pangyayari, pero kahit po papaano eh nababawasan ang sakit na aming nararamdaman dahil may mga tulong na agad na dumating gaya ng ibinigay sa amin ng PAGCOR,” said Ronald whose younger brother Mardaccai was among those who died after a huge portion of a mountain in Itogon eroded and sent tons of earth and mud to a mining site below.
PAGCOR also brought relief to typhoon victims in the provinces of La Union, Pangasinan, Isabela and Ilocos.
“We know how hard it is for these people to cope with the aftermath of this calamity so in our own little way, we try to help lessen their burden by delivering timely aid,” said Lim.