Evacuees appeal for cash aid
Credit to Author: Bernadette Tamayo| Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2020 16:15:48 +0000
BATANGAS: Evacuees housed at the provincial sports complex asked the government for financial aid to help them cope with their daily needs.
Some senior citizens also requested milk, adult diapers and underwear while young mothers said they needed heavy-duty thermoses as well as undergarments.
“Ang aming kailangan sa totong buhay eh pinansiyal (What we really need is financial [help],” said Marissa Parcon, 60.
“’Pag wala ho kaming pinansiyal ay wala ho kaming pambili sa labas (Without money, we have no means to buy [things we need] outside [the evacuation center],” Parcon told The Manila Times.
Parcon’s mother, Erlinda Marilla, 79, and their neighbor Cerelina Amo, 61, were among 358 families or 1,506 individuals who were evacuated to the Batangas Sports Complex following the eruption of Taal Volcano on January 12.
They are from the affected towns of Agoncillo, Lemery, San Luis, San Nicolas, Taal and Talisay.
Marilla, Amo and fellow elderly Nimfa Angtiangco, 71, hope some groups would donate milk.
“Kaming mga matanda na eh nainom ng gatas (We, the elderly, drink milk),” Marilla said. Amo also requested adult diaper for her husband, Marcelo, 63.
“Kailangan namin panty at bra,” Parcon and Marilla chorused.
Minowa Bugay, 36, and Glenda, 49, shared the same concern, also asking for sanitary napkins.
They said they had referred their concerns to local government officials, including their call for financial help.
“Kami raw ho ay bibigyan ng konting tulong (They said we will be given some help),” Parcon said. “Hindi ho namin masabi kung kailan. ‘Yun ang aming problema (We cannot say with certainty when [it will be given]. That is our big problem).”
Parcon lamented that their house had been severely damaged.
“Bitak-bitak ho ang aming bahay. Umuok-ok ang aming bahay (Our house had lots of cracks. Our house has sank),” she said.
Parcon said their male relatives return secretly to their respective homes in early dawn. “They normally leave [the evacuation center] at 3 a.m. and return immediately. They look for ways just to visit their farm animals,” she said in Filipino.
“Babangon ho kami. May awa ho ang Panginoon sa amin. Kaya ho kailangan magdasal sa Panginoong Diyos (We will rise [from this calamity]. God has mercy on us. That is why we need to pray to the Lord God),” Parcon said.
Michelle Mirano, 46, a member of Prayer Warrior, help fellow evacuees with their spiritual needs.
Glenda said they need a huge thermos so that they would no longer queue to get hot water.
“Sa dispenser ho pila. ‘Pag kailangan ng mainit waiting lang kayo ng waiting (There is a long line in the water dispenser. If you need hot water, you have to wait),” she said.
Glenda said they need financial assistance so that they would be able to buy food since their children wanted food other than sardines.
“Pinansiyal ho talaga ang kailangan kasi ‘yung mga bata kung sardinas nagsasawa na (We really need financial [assistance] because our children have grown tired of [eating] sardines),” she said.
Glenda said the P3,000-aid they received from the Department of Social Welfare and Development is almost depleted.
Bugay said they also need money to buy powdered detergent and other basic necessities.