Presidential candidate and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso has expressed his gratitude to his constituents for taking part in the relief drive of the local city government by personally donating their Noche Buena food packages that were recently distributed to them.
Moreno said the city government of Manila began distributing early this month the Noche Buena boxes containing 3 kilos of rice, 5 cans of corned beef, ingredients for spaghetti and fruit salad.
“Can you believe that the Christmas gift packages I gave in Manila, a lot of them donated their Noche Buena packs? They returned them, we sent them to Leyte. We sent to Surigao, Cebu, Bohol. Those are Manila children,” a proud and happy Moreno told the media.
He was giving an update on the city government’s relief operations to help those in the Visayas and Mindanao who were severely affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
“Never mind I called them to help. So what they did was they gave their packages they received. Because I always tell them… I know our lives are hard but at least we can survive. Because I saw the Visayas, seriously. I really feel sorry for them so I can talk to whoever I can, I take them and then give them to the person,” Moreno explained.
Moreno said he was in Urdaneta, Pangasinan over the weekend where businessmen and other groups contributed about P250,000 for the relief efforts of the Manila city government.
The Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer earlier thanked Dr. Honey Lacuna, his vice mayor in Manila, and the City Government Council for the speedy approval of a resolution that allocated P2.5 million in assistance for the recovery efforts in the typhoon-hit areas in Cebu (P1 million), Bohol (P500,000), Leyte (P500,000), and Surigao del Norte (P500,000).
“Those 2.5 million pesos came from the City of Manila plus about P2 million that we personally raised. Then the businessmen in Urdaneta last night about P250,000 and I’ve heard there will be cash donations coming for the provinces,” Moreno said.
Moreno said they still have to determine the areas where the donations will be sent. But the most important thing right now, he said, is that people will immediately get the assistance they desperately need.
“We’re coordinating because many areas there really don’t have water, no electricity so it’s hard for us to contact. Then, whoever we can contact as soon as possible we can send our assistance. The same thing with Cebu City and the province of Cebu the other day,” Moreno said.
Moreno expressed hope that government institutions such as the Social Security System and Government Service Insurance Corp. (GSIS) will act fast by providing financial help in the form of loan assistance to typhoon victims.
Moreno earlier urged the Insurance Commission to speed up the processing of insurance claims of Typhoon Odette victims who have lost everything in the aftermath of the most destructive typhoon to hit the country after Yolanda.
When asked when he will resume his provincial sorties which were temporarily suspended in favor of relief operations, Moreno said he will just play it by the ear.
“We will see. We play it by ear. Because I don’t want to rest, alas. But you know what I just want is to first help ‘those in need,’ the people more than anything else. Only those from Visayas and Mindanao will survive,” Moreno said.
“The government is the owner there. If I put it in the right perspective. You just have to act really fast. There are no more meetings, or fanfare,” Moreno said.
Typhoon Odette smashed into the country Thursday last week as a super typhoon packing wind speeds of 195 kilometers per hour.
It made 9 landfalls – on Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte; Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands; Liloan, Southern Leyte; Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte; President Carlos P. Garcia, Bohol; Bien Unido, Bohol; Carcar, Cebu; La Libertad, Negros Oriental; and Roxas, Palawan – before exiting the country Friday.