Cebu volunteers help rebuild ComVal

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Medical Society sent a 60-man contingent composed of medical and non-medical personnel to Compostela Valley for a four-day medical mission and also to help in the rehabilitation efforts of the government.

The medical group is composed of 17 doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives. The non-medical group on the other hand is composed of carpenters, plumbers and electricians.

Dr. Wyben Briones, who heads the mission, said they will start the massive mission today until Sunday.

“We made this massive mission after looking on the reports of the post typhoon in the Compostela Valley area which is frequently hit by the typhoon,” Briones said.

Briones said that this is a cumulative effort from the different non-government organizations and the Cebu City Government. Briones said they have raised P8 million in donations for this mission.

The Cebu City Council earlier approved to give P500,000 to each town affected by typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley.

Briones said that they will do the medical mission in order to alleviate the sufferings of the victims. The group has brought with them P500,000 worth of medicine.

“Aside from the medical mission, we will also refurbish and replenish their hospitals with medical supplies since the area lacks medical supplies,” said Briones.

He added that the Rotary International along with the group will do the housing rehabilitation which will be done by the non-medical group.

They had two hundred thousand worth of nipa roofing so that the 5,000 families and evacuees can now go back to their newly rehabilitated houses.

Briones said that they also brought along with them the 90 pails full of goodies donated by Paref Springdale as well as the letters made by its students for the children of Compostela Valley.

The Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung Foundation and the Urbina Family of Café Laguna also donated candies and goods while the Alejandro family added 40 boxes of noodles and the Flordeliz family donated the carpentry tools.

There were 18 all-terrain vehicles full of relief goods gathered at the Cebu Medical Society Center in Banilad yesterday afternoon and had their briefing before leaving Cebu City. —/FPL (FREEMAN)