Pampanga gives 500 coffins to ‘Pablo’ victims

Residents carry the coffin of a dead relative in New Bataan town, compostela province on December 6, 2012. Nearly 200,000 people are homeless and more than 475 dead after the Philippines suffered its worst typhoon this year, authorities said on December 6, reaching out for international aid to cope with the scale of the disaster. AFP/TED ALJIBE

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—The Pampanga government and the Pampanga Mayors’ League have sent 350 of 500 wooden coffins they have donated to families whose relatives were killed in landslides and flashfloods triggered by Typhoon Pablo  early this week in Mindanao.

The first batch of 110 caskets was sent on Thursday via the Philippine Air Force in Villamor Air Base in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense, said Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, PML president.

The next batch of 240 coffins were delivered on Friday, also through the PAF, while the balance of 150 will be flown Saturday, he said.

Pelayo said each of the coffins cost P2,500 for a total of P1.25 million that would be pooled from portions of salaries of 20 mayors and from private donations.

“These are the least we can give to our brothers and sisters who died in the middle of the calamity. We condole with their families and keep them in our prayers in a sad Christmas,” Gov. Lilia Pineda told the Inquirer.

The coffins were all made in Sto. Tomas town, the ‘coffin capital’ of Central Luzon.

The provincial government and the PML also donated coffins to victims of Storm Sendong in Mindanao in December last year.