The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) expressed its gratitude to the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines for its humanitarian aid amounting to USD 100,000 or P5.1-million that will benefit the families devastated by the recent Tropical Storm Urduja in the Visayas.
PRC Secretary General Atty. Oscar Palabyab personally received the donation from Chinese Embassy to the Philippines Counsellor Sun Yi at the PRC National Headquarters in Mandaluyong City on Wednesday.
“We are very thankful to the Chinese people for your generosity to the Filipinos. Be rest assured that this amount will be properly accounted for and will go far in providing the urgent needs of those suffering from the recent devastating storm in the Visayas,” Palabyab said.
A statement released by the Chinese Embassy website said that the “Chinese side looks forward to the aid lending more strength to the disaster relief efforts on the Philippine side to overcome the difficulties caused by tropical storm Urduja, which has hit the Visayas of the Philippines recently, and help the affected people restore their normal livelihood at an earliest date.”
Aside from Palabyab, also present to witness the turnover of the donation are: PRC Assistant Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla, Chinese Embassy to the Philippines Third Secretary of Political Office Liu Tiantian, PRC Fund Generation Director Genna Mijares, and PRC Communications Manager April Ann Abello-Bulanadi.
Since last week, the PRC has been working round-the-clock amidst the Christmas season to provide the needed humanitarian assistance to areas affected by Urduja.
The PRC recently deployed a humanitarian caravan, consisting of ambulances, water tanker, water bladders, tap stands, water treatment sets and portable generator sets to Biliran province.
To address the scarcity of clean water in the area, the PRC set up a 5,000-liter water bladder at the Biliran Provincial Hospital. It also provided anti-tetanus vaccines, as well as food and non-food items such as towels, plastic mats and blankets in Biliran.
The PRC also set up 13 welfare desks and provided psychosocial support to 169 individuals. Over 60 individuals were also rescued and transported for medical attention.
The PRC also distributed hot meals to 8,299 individuals in Northern Samar, Ormoc City, Surigao City, Leyte, Masbate, Eastern Samar, and Camarines Norte.
As the foremost humanitarian organization in the country, the PRC operates in 103 chapters across the country together with an estimated of 2 million volunteers nationwide.
Aside from disaster management, PRC's services include blood, safety, welfare, health, volunteer, and Red Cross Youth.