By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Captain Eduardo De Luna, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) district commander said they gathered two truckloads of relief supplies for typhoon-affected areas in Luzon.
PCG-Southern Visayas district covers the entire island of Negros and the province of Siquijor.
De Luna said the unit and PCG Auxiliary based in Negros thought of the initiative in the aftermath of Typhoons “Rolly” and “Ulysses.”
“We saw on television what our kababayan’s really needed, and part of the effort of the PCG district is to give assistance,” he added.
De Luna said they solicited the help of the PCG Auxiliary, private groups, and individuals, and they managed to gather food and water which can help support over a thousand families for several days.
The supplies were loaded on BRP Batangas, a PCG patrol vessel bound for Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley, and Bicol regions.
Commander Rhoderick Elioran, commanding officer of the BRP Batangas, told reporters that the ship was also loaded with 20 tons of foodstuff from Zamboanga City.
He said the ship will leave the Bredco port on Saturday and will arrive in Manila on the same day if the weather permits, Elioran added.
While still at the Bredco port, Elioran said the PCG will continue to accept donations until Friday.
Since the vessel’s cargo hold is almost full, Elioran said they hope the donations will be lighter items such as toiletries and cooking utensils.
