3 drop-off areas designated for Ondoy victims' donations

The government designated three drop-off points for relief goods intended for typhoon Ondoy's victims, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said in a dzBB report. These drop-off points are the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) center at the Batasan complex in Quezon City , the DSWD National Capital Region (NCR) Office in Quiapo, Manila, and the DSWD National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City, said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro who also heads the NDCC.

DSWD in Batasan can be reached through phone numbers +632 951 7119 and +63918 421 9780, the DSWD NCR through +632 734 8634 to 35 and +63915 291 3722, and the DSWD National Resource Operations Center through +632 852 8081 and +632 734 8622. These drop-off points were designated to make donations more "systematic," Teodoro said, adding that bottled water, clothes, blanket, and food will be accepted at these facilities. More calls for donations Petron gasoline stations all across Metro Manila and in major cities and towns in provinces in Luzon such as Palawan, Occidental and Oriental Mindoro, Masbate, and Marinduque can also accept donations. In a text message to reporters, Petron public affairs officer Rafael Ledesma said they have also provided liquefied petroleum gasoline-powered lights for areas without electricity. Jiggy Aquino-Cruz, grandson of former President Corazon Aquino, encouraged people to drop off relief goods at WhiteSpace, 2314 Pasong Tamo Ext., beside Makati Faith Christian School . In his Twitter account, Cruz also asked for help in packing relief goods at Balay Expo at Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City . In an online bulletin, Ateneo de Manila University also asked for donations for the victims of “Ondoy." Ateneo asked for “cooked or ready-to-eat food, clothes, medicine (for cough, wounds, colds, and multivitamins), blankets, and water. Donors can drop the items off at the lobby of Manuel V. Pangilinan Leadership Center, the University Dormitory lobby, or the Cervini Hall lobby. “We are also in need of volunteers for relief operations today. Please bring boots, shovels, large vehicles such as trucks or buses, or small watercraft," the bulletin said. Red Cross volunteers Those who want to help the Philippine Red Cross reach out to more victims can do so via their mobile phones. Facebook users posted on their status messages that people just have to key in RED AMOUNT and send to 2899 for Globe users or 4483 for Smart users. Amounts that can be donated are P25, P50, and P100. - with Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV