Reelectionist Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday, April 13 thanked the province of Catanduanes for anointing him as an adopted son.
Gordon was recognized by the Catanduanes provincial government in his efforts to help its residents recover from various calamities.
“We are thankful and humbled by the recognition that was accorded to us by the province of Catanduanes. We are merely doing our job to improve the lives of uplifting the dignity of the most vulnerable,” he said.
In its Resolution No. 728-2021, which was unanimously approved by the Catanduanes Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Gordon was cited for spearheading various relief efforts of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), where he had served as governor since 1986 and chairman since 2004.
Several days after typhoon ‘’Nina’’ made landfall and battered Catanduanes in January 2017, Gordon made his presence felt in the affected areas by providing welfare assistance, debris clearing, and provision of hot meals to victims.
When typhoon ‘’Rolly’’ hit the island in November 2020, the PRC, again led by Gordon, conducted the distribution of relief supplies.
“His leadership and dedication towards his calling, both as a Senator and the Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, earned him the love and admiration of the entire country, especially the Province of Catanduanes,” the resolution stated.
“In appreciation of the efforts of PRC Chairman Senator Richard Gordon in helping our province and its people, which endeared him more to the Catandungangons, deems it fit to initiate this adoption,” it added.
Aside from disaster relief, Gordon sprang into action by helping vaccinate around 3,000 children against measles and polio in 2020.
The PRC had also served almost 4,800 patients through its blood bank, dispensing 8,379 units of the life-preserving liquid.
To help quench the dry spell that struck the province, the PRC deployed water tankers to alleviate the problem of residents, distributing more than 4.3 million liters of potable water.
Gordon was awarded the resolution during his visit to the province as a guest candidate of the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, whose sorties drew thousands of supporters.