CITY OF MALOLOS—A rescue team from Bulacan province flew to Cotabato province on Friday to help in the search and rescue operation in central Mindanao following the devastation caused by a series of earthquakes that rocked the region.
Felicisima Mungcal, chief of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said the six-member team equipped for search and retrieval was deployed to the incident command post in Kidapawan City, one of the cities hardest hit by the temblors.
The region was rocked by a 6.5-magnitude quake on Thursday, the third major temblor to strike the region this month, leaving six dead. In all, 21 people have been killed in the temblors, including the 6.3-magnitude on Oct. 16 and the 6.6-magnitude on Tuesday.
In Nueva Ecija, Bishop Sofronio Aguirre Bancud of the Diocese of Cabanatuan appealed for “fervent prayer” for the safety of and financial assistance for quake survivors.
Pastoral letter
In a pastoral letter read for Friday Masses, the bishop said donations might be brought to the different parishes in the diocese.
Bancud said Church contributions, including those to be collected for this particular purpose on Saturday and Sunday, would immediately be sent to victims through the Church’s social action centers.
“Let’s include in our prayers the safety of rescue personnel and those helping the victims of this calamity,” he added.
Solidarity call
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier issued an urgent appeal for help for the quake victims in the Diocese of Kidapawan in Cotabato.
“Brothers and sisters, let us be in solidarity with the suffering people in these areas,” Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP president, said in a pastoral letter.
He said donations might be deposited to the Bank of the Philippine Islands account of the diocese, with the account name of RCB Diocese of Kidapawan and account No. 008663-0571-55.
“Let us not forget to continue praying to the Lord for the suffering people in these areas,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM TINA G. SANTOS
The Philippine Daily Inquirer has joined efforts to extend comfort and assistance to families affected by the earthquakes in Mindanao. Cash donations may be sent to the Inquirer Foundation Corp. through its Banco de Oro (BDO) current account No. 007960018860. Donors may also inquire with the Inquirer’s corporate affairs office through email at foundation@inquirer.com.ph.