Lawmaker vows fund support for new Kidapawan Red Cross chapter

KIDAPAWAN CITY - Cotabato second district Representative Nancy Catamco has promised to give financial support to the newly-organized chapter of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) here during its launch held Monday at the North Cotabato Provincial capitol complex. Funds will be taken from her congressional allotment, Catamco's announcement said. The total amount will be discussed with the officers and members of Kidapawan City’s PRC chapter in Kidapawan City, Catamco added. Funds will be used for, among others, increasing capacity of the city’s blood bank to cater to rising demand for blood, especially after dengue has claimed at least seven lives in North Cotabato province since May this year. Deaths were recorded in Banisilan town with four cases; one each in towns of Pigcawayan, Arakan, and Libungan. To date, more than a thousand dengue cases were monitored in different hospitals in North Cotabato since the onset of rainy season. Catamco was among those invited to grace the launch of the PRC sub-chapter in Kidapawan City, a long-awaited project. Joseph Contreras, PRC Kidapawan chapter assistant administrator, said that even before the group was formally launched, it has already been active in disaster response, blood donation, volunteerism, and other health care services, despite the lack of funds and other resources. Also in attendance during the launch of the PRC Kidapawan chapter were Cotabato Governor Lala Talinio-Mendoza; Vice-Governor Greg Ipong; Cotabato 1st district Rep. Jesus Sacdalan; and representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRD) led by Elizabeth Marcelle Maria Verluyten; and Bai Fatima Sinsuat, chair of the PRC Cotabato chapter Board of Director. The LGU officials have pledged their commitment to support the newly-organized PRC chapter. Mendoza led the signing of the pledge of commitment as the highlight of the launch. Contreras said that with the support coming in, he could only hope the chapter expands its services to other areas in nearby Kidapawan City to make it truly a humanitarian organization committed to provide quality life-saving services. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV