Church group accepting donations for Cotabato flood victims

Filipinos who wish to help victims of the devastating flood in North Cotabato may course their donations through the Catholic social-action group Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB), an official of the Jesuit-run movement said Tuesday. In an interview with GMA News Online, SLB program manager Bro. Neo Saicon said the group began to appeal for donations on Monday after Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo also asked the public for help. “Yung Church mismo ang gumagalaw dahil natatagalan sila sa local government units," the Jesuit brother explained. The relief effort, called “SLB Task Force Noah: Cotabato," noted that evacuees are in dire need of food, water, medical attention, and medicines. On its website, SLB asked donors to make their donations in cash “for the sake of efficiency," as the group cited the difficulty in transporting relief goods to the affected areas. The group said donors may visit the SLB office at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, or deposit money in the bank accounts listed on its site. SLB also offered to assist volunteers who would like to organize medical mission teams. “It’s one way of showing Christian charity. It should be part of our mindset, our attitude, to extend help to other people," Saicon said. On Monday, the municipal council of Makilala, North Cotabato, placed the entire town under a state of calamity as floods continued to ravage communities and send families to evacuation centers. The disaster is also making a negative impact on education of children because floods have inundated classrooms and school materials, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV SLB’s Saicon said the group was able to donate 225 sacks of rice worth P300,000 to the victims of the North Cotabato flood a day after Task Force Noah was started. — Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News