Some 400 families hardest hit by Tropical Depression (TD) Vicky in Madrid town, Surigao del Sur in December last year received relief goods and cash assistance from concerned citizens who grouped themselves into a civic organization named Function Team.
The local government of Madrid provided vehicles for the delivery of goods to the affected barangays.
TD Vicky left one person dead in Madrid on Dec.18, 2020.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Office Chief Abel de Guzman identified the casualty as Nilo Lagura, 53 years old and a resident of Barangay Patongpatong.
In an interview with Madrid Municipal Vice Mayor Philip Urquia, he said five barangays were adversely affected by the flood in the municipality. He identified them as Barangays Linibunan, Songkit, Mangga, Patongpatong and San Antonio.
Meantime, the Function Team focused their distribution of assistance to the most affected five barangays.
“Known for its being an agricultural community, most of the irrigations, banana plantations and coconut farms in the barangays of Madrid were damaged by flood,” Urquia said.
Urquia added that the local government of Madrid intervened by rescuing the residents affected by the flood and extending to them not less than 3,500 packs of relief goods in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“I am very much grateful to the DSWD for their quick response to our request from the regional office for assistance,” Urquia said.
Led by Maurice Tajonera, the school head of the Union National High School, the Function Team started as an ordinary group among friends.
Tajonera said he thought of making his birthday more meaningful by celebrating it through extending assistance to fifty families among his needy relatives in Purok 6, Barangay Linibunan with the help of some sponsors and his present and former students.
On Dec. 20, the Function Team, with the help of Pichay Initiative and MR1 Builders of Paolo Lopez conducted a relief operation in Barangays Songkit, Manga ang Patongpatong.
Then, on Dec. 23, the Function Team was tapped by a concerned family to distribute cash assistance to 62 households affected by the flood.
Bangon Surigaonon Organization tapped the Function Team for an additional workforce in distributing assistance to 262 families in Barangay San Antonio on Dec. 30.
Tajonera thanked the members of the Function Team and his friends and sponsors for their help that made their charity work a success.
“Service to others is the best gift we can offer to our fellowmen. Being generous of our time and resources makes us more human and it is our duty as part of humanity,” Tajonera said. – NewsLine.ph
