RELIEF trucks from Cotabato bound for Cebu. (Arnel Patalino/Cotabato province)
DAVAO CITY – The provincial government of Cotabato dispatched on Thursday, Nov. 13, a second batch of relief aid for calamity-hit areas in Cebu province.
But unlike its previous relief drive for earthquake-hit towns in Cebu, which was mainly sourced from the funds of the provincial government, the second batch of relief aid was mostly consolidated donations from different sectors.
According to the provincial government, the consolidated relief aid was in response to the relief drive launched last week dubbed “Bayanihan para sa Cebu.”
It added that assorted relief aid were donations from local government units in the province, government agencies, business sector, university, and some private individuals.
The relief aid was bags of rice, canned goods, hygiene kits, blankets, water heaters, and assorted clothing.
On Thursday morning, a convoy of four dump trucks from the provincial government, two military vehicles, and a pair of utility vans left for Cebu.
The contingent was headed by Antipas town Councilor and National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL) President Fedis Madeleine Cadungon, accompanied by Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office representative Joy Uyasan, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel, Philippine National Police (PNP) operatives, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), and volunteer responders known as ‘’abanteros.’’
The provincial government sent relief aid for earthquake-hit areas in Cebu last Oct. 2. They also sent help to the earthquake-affected province of Davao Oriental.
Aside from being a gesture of solidarity, this most recent relief drive for Cebu was a gesture of giving back as the province delivered aid to earthquake-affected hit towns Cotabato in 2019.
Gov. Emmylou "Lala" Taliño-Mendoza commended her constituents for showing solidarity to the people of Cebu amid the challenges that the province is also facing.