Caritas, the social arm of the Church, has urged voluntary organizations to provide financial aid to the affected people
Flood-hit areas of Catarman in Samar province in the Philippines (Photo: Caritas)
Torrential rains and widespread flooding have caused two deaths while submerging and destroying properties including thousands of homes in central parts of the Philippines.
As the Samar province in the Visayas region continues to receive heavy rains, two civic houses declared a state of calamity on Jan. 11.
The Samar Disaster Risk Reduction Center said 17,000 individuals in Gandara Town have been moved to shelter homes.
Military corporal Jerry Palacio, 34, who was engaged in the rescue operations, and Jomas Reyes, 38, a resident of Catarman, in northern Samar, died as they were swept away by strong currents.
“We received a military report that he (Palacio) got swept away by the overflowing water while crossing a bridge to rescue residents,” Major General Camilo Ligayo told reporters on Jan. 11.
Palacio and his colleagues had a tough time as several families had chosen to remain in their homes despite repeated warnings by the government.
“He was the team leader and the first to set foot on the bridge because the military truck couldn’t pass through it anymore. He knew the risks in the job but I guess he miscalculated the strength of the current,” Ligayo added.
Reyes died as he ventured out to fetch milk for his one-year-old son who had been earlier shifted to a nearby school.
“We tried to stop him but he did not listen because there was no milk in the evacuation area,” Catarman’s disaster officer Lina De Dios told UCA News.
Several farmers and cattle growers have reported a loss of income due to the flood.
“We just planted rice and were expecting to harvest it in April or May. Now, everything is gone. I borrowed money to plant them. Now, I need to borrow again,” Boyet Fausto, a farmer in Catarman told UCA News.
Caritas, the social arm of the Church, has urged foundations and voluntary organizations to provide aid to the farmers.
“We have foundations which give farmers money to buy cows. They can repay the loan once they sell the cattle,” Caritas executive secretary Father Edwin Gariquez told UCA News.
The priest said the Sunday collection will also be used for the benefit of victims in the Visayas region.
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