‘Damayan’ reaches out to Mindoro flood victims

CALAPAN, Oriental Mindoro — Despite the destruction brought by Typhoon "Quedan" here recently, residents of Barangay Camilmil found a reason to smile when they received relief assistance from volunteers of The STAR’s "Operation Damayan" last Wednesday.

The volunteers gave each family five kilos of rice, two kilos of sugar, assorted canned goods, two loaves of bread, instant noodles and one kilo of pancit which, according to 42-year-old Paul de Leon, was the biggest relief package they ever received.

"Maraming salamat po. Malaking biyaya po itong tinanggap namin mula sa inyo (Thank you very much. This is a big help for us)," De Leon said.

Camilmil is one of the barangays devastated by the typhoon, which unleashed its fury on Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Albay a few weeks ago.

Barangay captain Redemsy Frayre said that at the height of the typhoon, the dikes in Bocayao and Najuan were damaged, releasing tons of water into Camilmil.

Frayre noted that rainwater from the mountainous parts of Barangays Masipit, Tawiran and Lalud also cascaded down to Camilmil, causing massive flooding in many areas.

"Maraming bahay ang lumubog at maraming kagamitan ang nasira. Ang ipinagpapasalamat lang namin ay walang namatay sa amin (Many houses were under water and many appliances were destroyed. But we are thankful none of us died)," he added.

At present, many houses in Camilmil and nearby barangays are still submerged. The residents last experienced such a flood in 1972.

Many residents are still at evacuation centers set up at the Jose Leydo National High School, Calapan Central School and Parish Cathedral. Others are staying with relatives.

"Magmula ng bumagyo, kaunting ulan at high tide lang ay bumabaha na dito sa amin. Sana ay malagpasan namin ito (Ever since the typhoon, we experience floods every time it rains a little or when it is high tide. We hope we can get through this)," Frayre said.

A brainchild of The STAR’s late founding chairwoman Betty Go-Belmonte, Damayan is the socio-humanitarian arm of the STAR Group of Publications. It is now carried on by her son, STAR president and chief executive officer Miguel Belmonte.

Damayan wishes to thank the following for their support to the Calapan relief project: Elvie Estavillo, who donated P20,000; Pharma World Distributions, P10,000; Frank Pe, P5,000; United Link Pharmaceuticals, P5,000; and an anonymous donor, who gave Damayan P50,000.