MANILA — The humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in Leyte has delivered relief goods to 500 families affected by tropical depression ‘Urduja’ in Biliran province on Wednesday.
According to Archdiocese of Palo Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (Caritas Palo) Director Rev. Fr. Al Cris Badana, the relief goods, which were turned over to the Diocese of Naval Social Action Center in Biliran, came from the emergency funds of the Archdiocese of Palo.
“We aim to help the most vulnerable people in the province, especially those from affected areas not yet reached by the government and other organizations. As of now, the Diocese of Naval is coordinating the distribution of relief goods to the affected communities that will be identified,” he said in a statement.
The Caritas Palo official added that the relief goods, consist of basic food items such as rice, canned goods, noodles, coffee, bottled water and clothing, were packed by Caritas Manila scholars from Leyte.
Badana said they are also expecting additional relief goods from the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines, the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in the Philippines.
“It’s almost Christmas time. We want to help more people in the coming days even if it means working doubly hard during the holidays. We at the Catholic Church believe that no one should be left behind,” he added.
Based on their initial assessment, access to clean, drinking water remains a big problem in the area. Also the difficulty in accessing Biliran province remains a challenge as many roads and bridges are still not passable.
“From the usual two hours, it now takes five hours to reach the province,” Badana said.
Aside from relief goods, the Archdiocese of Palo led by Palo Archbishop John Du also donated through the Diocese of Naval burial assistance for the families affected by the landslides in Naval, Biliran.
At least six landslides were reported across the province, killing more than 30 people after heavy rains caused by tropical depression Urduja devastated the province.
The Caritas Palo was established by the Archdiocese of Palo following the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda back in 2013.
The group was able to successfully implement the Catholic Church’s largest three-year Yolanda rehabilitation program in Leyte. It was also able to respond to various calamities that hit Eastern Visayas such as Typhoons Ruby and Seniang in 2014 and the earthquake in Ormoc City early this year.
Currently, it is also implementing a three-year program linking humanitarian and development work called SEARCHDev, which aims to sustain the rehabilitation efforts to Yolanda survivors.