Church gives aid to typhoon Glenda victims

MANILA, Philippines - A social arm of the Catholic church on Thursday said that it has released P3 million to help the victims of typhoon Glenda that devastated parts of Bicol region and Central Luzon.

Apart from the P3 million assistance, Caritas Manila Executive Director Father Anton Pascual said that the Archdiocese of Manila has also released P1.5 million for the  Mindanao region as standby fund and preparation for the rainy season.

The prelate appealed to the public to bring the relief goods to be donated to the victims of the typhoon to the nearest church in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Social Justice and Peace has deployed five teams to assess the extent of damage caused by typhoon Glenda in the different provinces.

Archdiocese of Lipa Social Action Center Director Father Jayson Siapco reported that it will take two to three weeks before the water supply and electricity in Batangas are restored as several fallen trees damaged power lines.

The prelate based his report on the assessment of the Batangas Electric Cooperative.

He said that the Church is now distributing relief goods to the residents of the towns of Balayan, Calatagan, Tuy, and Nasugbu whose homes have been destroyed as the typhoon battered the areas.

"Nasira ang mga bubong ng bahay, Mayroon pang nasa evacuation center ngayon yung iba nasa chapel ng mga barangay. This afternoon, the assessment, mga 80 percent ng buong Batangas ang gagawin. Nagmobilize ako ng staff at umiikot kami," Father Siapco told Radyo Veritas.