Human chain forms heart in Clark for victims of ‘Sendong’
CLARK FREEPORT—Khym Garcia and some 2,600 people sent out love and hope to victims of killer floods in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan by forming a human chain in the shape of a heart at the parade grounds here on Wednesday night.
Call it a full heart because it was composed of five rows of people who held up candles with one hand, while clasping the hand of a neighbor with the other.
They prayed for the safety of Mindanao residents, who continue to suffer from strong rains three days before New Year. The participants asked that the survivors be imbued with courage to overcome losses and the determination to rise again.
Garcia’s donation of P100, right out from her school allowance, added to the P604,000 cash raised that night by employees of the Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Clark Investors and Locators Association and several groups from Angeles City and Pampanga, according to CDC president Felipe Antonio Remollo.
“I wanted to help in my own little way,” said Garcia, 18, a hotel and restaurant management student in Angeles City.
Garcia also volunteered time to help Angeles City gather donations for disaster victims in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan where thousands had died in the deluge of rainwater, mud and logs.
The contributions of individual locators are being awaited, said Remollo.
The show of solidarity was part of “Clark Cares,” the CDC’s corporate responsibility program.
The CDC had sent out P250,000 worth of rice and goods to Negros Oriental and Dumaguete City where Remollo was a former mayor.
After the human chain, the CDC and the Pampanga provincial government lit six of the 10 lanterns that competed in the City of San Fernando’s Ligligan Parul (Giant Lantern Festival).
The lanterns were displayed for some 2,000 people, mostly families which came in droves to witness the event.
“These lanterns show the excellence of Kapampangan craftsmen. These also symbolize hope, which we need to greet 2012 with,” Gov. Lilia Pineda said of why the provincial government sponsored the one-night display of giant lanterns at Clark.
The Peregrine Development International (PDI), an American company based in Clark, donated last week a water filtration station to Cagayan de Oro’s waterless residents. The firm is the developer of the Global Gateway Logistics City.
The first 3,000 liters of potable water produced from the PDI system were sent to Barangay Consolacion in Cagayan de Oro.
