LEGAZPI CITY—The governor of Albay province has dispatched multi-awarded disaster response group Team Albay to Bulusan and Irosin in neighboring Sorsogon, to “assist the relief and early recovery of households” in those areas, battered by Typhoon “Nona” recently.
Gov. Joey Salceda at the same time called on his constituents to “exercise modesty” in celebrating Christmas, “to set aside, if not to radically cancel them and transform them into assistance” to those affected by the latest calamity.
The Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in a full council meeting late last week approved Team Albay’s 10-day deployment to Bulusan and Irosin, its 15th mercy mission so far. Its last engagement was only last October in Typhoon Lando-devastated towns of Quezon and Central Luzon provinces.
Team Albay moved out last Friday night with its Water and Sanitation unit and its lorry mounted water filtration machines, and its Medical Support Group. Once passable, the team will shift resources to the isolated, nearby town of Magallanes.
“In this respect, we encourage our people—our institutions, civic groups, schools, barangays, even families— to exercise modesty in our Christmas celebrations, to set aside, if not to radically cancel them and transform them into assistance to those affected by Typhoon “Nona” in our midst,” he said.
The governor also encouraged his constituents and other concerned groups “to undertake charity missions in our neighboring province of Sorsogon, particularly in the towns of Bulusan, Irosin, Magallanes, Bulan, Barcelona and Matnog… and to the bolder souls, to Burias, Claveria and San Pascual in Masbate.”
The mercy mission is headed by Dr. Nats Rempillo, himself a veteran of the team’s earlier mercy engagements. Team Albay’s WatSan unit was deployed as of early Saturday in Irosin and Bulusan, while the medical team concentrated its attention in Bulusan to do Post Disaster Health Interventions.
Salceda said Team Albay continuously and consistently pursues its goals of “giving back, equality, unity, and constant kindness.We shall forever be grateful to the nation for assisting us during the devastation of Supertyphoon Reming almost ten years ago, and this is our way of paying back. Moreover, this is in solidarity with our partners in our tourism alliance – Albay Masbate Sorsogon or ALMASOR,” he explained.
Team Albay brought the province its third Galing Pook Award this year, an assurance of a niche in the Hall of Fame of the most prestigious government honor. The team had been Salceda’s creation in 2008, and the province’s vanguard group in disaster risk reduction, and other related emergency concerns. When Albay received its third Galing Pook Award this year, Team Albay had already been to 13 humanitarian missions and had served some 103,642 families or 518,208 persons and produced 4,863,612 liters of potable water in disaster areas.