Archdiocese of Caceres in Bicol appeals for help

MANILA, Philippines —  The Roman Catholic Church in Bicol is appealing for help as thousands in the region reel from “the worst flooding ever” and agonize over slow and meager assistance from concerned agencies.

“The last 48 hours have not been easy for us. We experienced the worst flooding ever due to Typhoon Kristine. All of lowland Naga and other parts of Bicol were submerged under the floods,” said Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon of the Archdiocese of Caceres in a letter of appeal. “People had to swim for safety (and) some died.”

He included in his letter a text message from “a religious sister” who was begging for “food to 500-plus people evacuated in our school.”

“The barangay keeps on bringing more people but no food yet po… we all gave what we have but not enough po,” according to the text message.

The next day, the nun again pleaded for help, saying “many are asking for food now… children are crying… need din po ng water.”

The towns of Gainza, Canaman, Camaligan, Milaor, Minalabac, San Fernando, Bula, Baao, Nabua, Bato “and other outlying areas are still flooded and can hardly be reached,” Alarcon said.

He added rescue operations were still underway “but boats are needed.”

Areas under the archdiocese also had no network signal and power supply and were running out of food and water as “stores were also affected,” he said.

Alarcon said many Kristine victims staying at evacuation areas like parish churches, schools, barangay halls and covered courts were in desperate need for food and water as well as medicine, hygiene kits, innerwear, blankets, flashlights, sleeping kits and other essentials.

Cash assistance may be deposited in the accounts of Caritas Caceres and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Caceres, details of which were included in Alarcon’s letter posted on the archdiocese’s Facebook page.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula has asked parishes under the Archdiocese of Manila to hold a second collection during masses today and tomorrow.

The cash donations from the second collection would be donated to victims of Kristine in the Bicol region and Quezon province, Advincula said in Circular No. 2024-75.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, meanwhile, said the latest disaster experienced by the country should underpin the need for stricter implementation of laws aimed at ensuring the welfare and protection of children during calamities.

Gatchalian pointed out that government agencies like the Department of Health, Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Social Welfare and Development have the responsibility to ensure that children are in safe spaces and their health, nutrition and sanitation needs are met.

Children should also be entitled to psychosocial support, and their education uninterrupted.

He said such mandate is provided for under the Comprehensive Emergency Program for Children under Republic Act 10821 or the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act.

“It is clear from the data and our experience that during calamities, young people face great danger. Because of this, it is important that we give priority to their safety and well-being,” Gatchalian said.

Citing DepEd reports, Gatchalian said more than 18.6 million learners from almost 35,973 schools were affected by the storm.

The DepEd also reported that 223 classrooms were destroyed and 415 damaged by Kristine’s onslaught.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) received a donation of P1 million and 1,000 sacks of rice on Thursday from ACT-CIS party-list. The donation was made a day after ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo was made a commodore of the PCG Auxiliary.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan thanked ACT-CIS party-list for “their dedication to upholding the rule of law and their partnership with the PCG in safeguarding the country’s maritime resources.”

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), for its part, is pushing for the creation of a state-funded compensation fund for victims of calamities.

Bayan president Renato Reyes reminded President Marcos that expressions of sympathy, thoughts and prayers for victims would never suffice, adding that even relief goods are not enough to mitigate the suffering of people who bear the brunt of calamities.

Reyes said Marcos should realign confidential and intelligence funds to a compensation fund for victims of natural disasters.

“We call for a state-funded compensation fund for all victims of man-made calamities and environmental degradation. It is time to change our policies on business that ruin the environment and make the people, especially the poor, more vulnerable to the worsening effects of the climate crisis,” he said in a statement.

Reyes said it is time for the government to provide meaningful compensation to all typhoon victims who lost crops, housing and other property.

“The state should acknowledge responsibility for its gross failure to protect the environment, thus causing severe effects on the people during storms,” he said. –  Cecille Suerte Felipe, Emmanuel Tupas