Military personnel from the 10th Infantry “Agila” Division (10 ID) allocated their subsistence allowance to fund the relief operations for the victims of Severe Tropical Storm “Paeng” in Maguindanao del Norte recently.
In a statement Wednesday, Nov. 16, Capt. Maj. Gen. Nolasco Mempin, commander of 10ID, said the troops raised a total of P697,000 which was used to buy 1,000 hygiene kits and 720 relief packs for the residents of Brgy. Pura and Brgy. Matuber in Datu Blah Sinsuat, and Brgy. Delican and Brgy. Kusiong in Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao province.
Each hygiene kit contained toothpaste, toothbrush, slippers, mosquito nets, bath soaps, detergent bars, coffee, and pales while each relief pack consisted of five kgs of rice, canned goods, noodles, and pre-loved clothing. The relief operations were held on Nov. 13 and 14.
“Our service to our fellowmen does not only limit to security. It is also our honor and pride as soldiers to help in any way we could anytime, anywhere,” Mempin said.
The military commander lauded the efforts of the 10 ID personnel as well as the troops from the 6th Infantry Division (6ID) who helped in the distribution of the care packages.
He highlighted the importance of helping those who are in need especially during trying times such as disasters and calamities.
Normia Vilo, a resident of Brgy. Pura, was one of the beneficiaries of the relief operations by 10 ID and 6 ID. She expressed her gratitude to the Philippine Army for providing much-needed relief assistance such as food and hygiene kits as they try to rise up from the storm.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako na kahit galing pa po sa malayo ang mga sundalo ay binigyan pa rin po nila kami ng tulong ito sa barangay namin (I am grateful because even if the soldiers come from a far away place, they still helped our barangay),” Vilo was quoted as saying by the 10 ID.
Datu Odin Sinsuat and Datu Blah Sinsuat are two of the hardest hit municipalities in Maguindanao when Paeng struck more than two weeks ago.
As of Wednesday, data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that the death toll due to Paeng rose to 162. Majority of those who died were in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), including 53 in Datu Odin Sinsuat and three in Datu Blah Sinsuat.
There were also 29 missing persons and 270 injured individuals.
The damage to agriculture reached P6.30 billion while damage to infrastructure amounted to P5.61 billion.
A total of 3,933 families composed of 17,914 individuals were still staying in 127 evacuation centers while 66,313 families or 331,027 individuals were staying with their friends’ or relatives’ house.
The total number of affected population stood at 1,389,542 families or 5,588,493 individuals.