Second team from city leaves to help in Bohol

CEBU, Philippines - While also recuperating from damage from the strong earthquake last Tuesday morning, Cebu City government yesterday sent a seven-man quick response team to battered neighboring province of Bohol.

The team, led by Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Simeon Romarate, included representatives from the Ang Labangon Emergency Response Team (ALERT) and the city health department. They are the second batch to leave for Bohol and help the All-Terrain Medical and Relief Operation, Rotary Club International and GMA Kapuso Foundation relief and medical mission.

The first deployment left Friday evening while the second one with city government representatives took the 6 a.m. trip via free ride from 2GO shipping.

“The team has a budget of P350,000. From this, P200,000 is for medical supplies which they brought to augment the ones brought by the first deployment,” CCDRRMO operations head Alvin Santillana said.

From the initial plan of covering only the municipalities of Loay, Dimiao, Sagbayan and Clarin, the relief and medical operations will now be covering more areas hit by the strong quake as identified by Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Santillana said.

New areas covered by the effort include Sagbayan, Loay, Clarin, Tagbilaran, Loon, Maribojoc with the more than 50-member delegation composed of medical professionals and emergency response trained personnel equipped with 4x4 vehicles.

2GO Shipping also offered free shipment of relief goods and a free ride for journalists to Bohol. The shipping company, in a letter sent to The FREEMAN yesterday, said that civic groups, government agencies and private organizations, and even individuals can send their relief goods for free through 2GO.

2GO provided a dropoff center for the goods at SuperCat Terminal in Pier 4.

Meanwhile, a team of miners from Cebu were sent to Bohol to help in search, rescue and retrieval efforts.

Eddie Llamedo, information officer of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that a 35-member search, rescue and retrieval team was deployed jointly by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau-7, Philippine Mine Safety and Environment Association, Philippine Society of Mining Engineers–Visayas Chapter, Carmen Copper Corp. and the Philsaga Mining Corp.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau-7 Regional Director Loreto Alburo said that bureau and PMSEA’s Pusong Minero advocacy campaign is the prevention, preparedness and emergency response to natural and man-made emergencies. — (FREEMAN)