The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) aided more than 200 locally-stranded individuals (LSI) at the Manila North Port, the organization said on Friday, Jan. 21.
PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sen. Richard Gordon deployed a food truck to provide hot meals to 250 LSIs bound for Zamboanga, Cagayan, Ozamis, Cebu, and Bacolod.
PRC Welfare services, together with the Manila Chapter, assisted the individuals who were stranded due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Aside from hot meals, the PRC welfare team also provided clothes, face masks, and hygiene kits to address the current needs of the stranded individuals.
Among those who were there, according to PRC was Jikala Jilpan, a 45-year-old fisherman from Mindanao who was amputated due to a mine explosion while fishing. He is currently waiting at North Port, Manila, with his nine-year-old granddaughter.
“Kaagad ko ipinadala ang aming mga food trucks kasama ang aming welfare team upang mamahagi ng libreng hot meals, facemasks, hygiene kits, at damit sa mga stranded nating mga kapatid na Badjao (I immediately deployed our food trucks together with our welfare team to distribute hot meals, face masks, hygiene kits and clothes to our standed Badjao brothers),” Gordon said.
PRC said that Gordon continues to provide much-needed relief to the most vulnerable families affected by the pandemic, and the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao Region.