Robredo volunteers packing relief items for Odette victims./Photo from Robredo People’s Council Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — A campaign center of volunteers for Vice President Leni Robredo located along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, has been turned into a hub for the preparation and distribution of relief items for areas hit by Typhoon Odette.
According to Robredo on Friday, they have been monitoring the developments in the southern parts of the country after Odette barreled through the northern portion of the Caraga Region and other parts of Mindanao at its peak strength — with maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour.
To speed up the delivery of the relief items, Robredo personally supervised the preparations at the volunteer center.
“Para mas mapabilis ang pagkilos natin, nandito po ako ngayon sa ating Campaign Volunteer Center sa Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, which we will be converting into a relief hub. We also convened our operations center dito, and as we speak, ongoing po ang meetings and close coordination with AFP, PNP, and other units na makakatulong sa rescue operations natin,” she said in a video statement.
“Starting today, puwede na pong mag-drop off ng mga in-kind donations dito. We have also partnered with Tanging Yaman Foundation para sa cash donations mula sa mga gustong tumulong. I-check na lang po sa aming Facebook Page ang link dito,” she added.
Robredo requested that the following items be sent to the Katipunan Avenue volunteer center:
- blankets
- hygiene items like shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, at sanitary napkins
- face masks and alcohol
- bottled water
- rice
- ready to eat food items like easy-to-open canned goods, instant noodles, biscuits, and powdered drinks like coffee, and cereal drinks.
“Abangan rin po ang sign-up form para sa volunteers na gustong tumulong mag-repack dito sa ating relief center. Magrerelease po kami ng details on that sa ating Official Pages,” Robredo said.
“Meron na po tayong nauna kanina, pero mag-abang lang po sa karagdagang detalye. We will be releasing details on that sa ating Official Pages. Sabi ko nga, walang krisis na hindi kayang lagpasan ng ating pagbabayanihan. Aasahan ko po kayo. Maraming salamat at ingat po tayong lahat,” she added.
As of Friday noon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that Odette was able to maintain its strength as it moves closer to mainland Palawan.
Odette is now packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of 235 kph. It is still moving westwards at 25 kph.
At present, no areas are under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 4, with Signal No. 3 being raised only over some areas in Luzon and Visayas, particularly Palawan and Iloilo.