Pope prays for Kristine victims in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis has offered prayers for Filipinos affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine.

At Sunday’s Angelus address at the Vatican, the 87-year-old pontiff reportedly mentioned praying for the victims of Kristine.

“I am close to the population of the Philippines, struck by a powerful cyclone. May the Lord support those people, so full of faith,” the pope said, from his window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Floods and landslides led to 116 casualties, 109 injured and 39 missing people, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said yesterday.

Kristine affected 6.7 million people or 1.6 million families in 10,147 barangays nationwide. It also displaced 980,355 people in 6,286 evacuation centers.

Damage to agriculture and infrastructure was estimated at P2.5 billion and P1.5 billion, respectively.

Two more areas were placed under a state of calamity, bringing to 160 the total number of cities and municipalities that declared a state of calamity.

Caritas Philippines has appealed for food donations, potable water, hygiene kits and other relief supplies.

Bishops in the hardest-hit Bicol region had also appealed for aid as many families remained in evacuation centers.

Caritas Manila executive director Anton Pascual reported they have donated an initial P1.2 million to six dioceses in Bicol, namely the Archdiocese of Caceres in Camarines Sur and the Dioceses of Libmanan, Legazpi, Daet, Virac and Sorsogon.

Pascual said they are preparing to send assistance to affected dioceses in Southern Luzon and Central Luzon, as well as donations to help repair churches.

Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera reportedly asked for prayers and help in Batangas.

In a situation report, the Lipa Archdiocesan Social Action Commission said 43 people died and 22 are missing in the province.

Meanwhile, three Philippine Postal Corp. trucks are being utilized by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) to deliver essential supplies to communities in Bicol.

Two trucks carried 720 shelter tarpaulins and a third truck was stocked with 3,500 hygiene kits.

Humanitarian aid

In Pampanga, the police regional office on Saturday deployed 62 personnel – specializing in search, rescue and retrieval operations – to provide humanitarian assistance to communities in the Bicol region affected by Kristine.

The Police Regional Office 3 also sent essential relief supplies.

“In times like these, extending help to the hardest-hit communities is vital. This mission is made possible with the strong support of the OCD, whose resources have been instrumental in enabling our response,” said PRO3 director Brig. Gen. Redrigo Maranan.

Mental health

Aside from leptospirosis, the Department of Health (DOH) is monitoring cases of stress and other mental conditions among those affected by Kristine.

“In evacuation centers, it is important to give assurances and have a few minutes of conversation with people,” Health Assistant Secretary Alberto Domingo said yesterday.

At yesterday’s public briefing, Domingo said the Code Blue alert is still in effect in the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley and Bicol region.

Code Blue, he said, means around-the-clock monitoring and field reports so that immediate action can be undertaken if necessary.

The DOH has deployed two augmentation teams to Bicol, he said. All DOH-run hospitals are operational.

The agency has not monitored an increase in illnesses in evacuation centers.

New underwear

Almost a week into their ordeal, evacuees affected by Kristine have one common request: underwear.

Former vice president Leni Robredo, who is leading relief efforts in her hometown Naga, shared the appeal of evacuees after she visited the city’s largest evacuation center on Sunday.

Angat Buhay, the non-government organization that Robredo founded, started accepting donations of new underwear to support victims.

New underwear may be dropped off at Angat Buhay’s headquarters in Quezon City and Naga City.

Angat Buhay executive director Raffy Magno also appealed for canned goods, which will be donated to evacuees in Bicol.

According to Angat Buhay, it has provided relief goods, hygiene kits and hot meals to over 95,000 families and people.

As of yesterday, the organization received in-kind donations worth almost P26 million and raised more than P34 million in cash donations.

Meanwhile, 604 families from Barangays Mabolo and Triangulo received 5,040 gallons of purified water, which came from the water purification system of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The OCD has deployed its rapid deployment team to Naga to oversee the distribution of relief goods.

OCD Assistant Secretary Hernando Caraig Jr. attended a briefing with President Marcos in Naga.

PNR restores routes

The Philippine National Railways (PNR) has restored its route in Laguna and Quezon, which were battered by Kristine.

The state-owned railway reopened the Lucena-Calamba-Lucena route yesterday.

Its routes in Bicol remain closed. — Ric Sapnu, Mayen Jaymalin, Janvic Mateo, Pia Lee-Brago, Ghio Ong