LEGAZPI CITY – Through the effort of the Provincial Government of Albay and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Regional office-5, an 80-member team called the “Bicol Humanitarian Mission” left for Bohol and Cebu to help the victims of the killer quake in various capacities.
Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda had ordered the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) to organize the humanitarian mission to help its sister province Bohol.
APSEMO head Cedric Daep said the first batch of volunteers that included an army rescue team left on Thurs. (Oct. 17) and brought with them a water sanitation machine. An engineering and medical team accompanied by disaster management and evacuation camp experts left on Friday (Oct.18) morning, said Daep
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Bicol director Bernardo R. Alejandro said the water purifier machine worked effectively in Albay during the recent Mayon eruption and will be used to provide badly needed potable water for thousands of evacuees in Central Bohol.
The volunteers include army Staff-Sgt. Alberto Nunez Jr., a native of Buenavista, Bohol and presently assigned at the 9th Infantry Division in Bicol. He says he has mixed emotions about going to his native place under this situation but he likes to help his fellow Boholanos in need.
According to Daep, the Bicol mission will last for 10 days and shall coordinate with other relief groups working in Bohol and Cebu.
The ASPEMO in Albay Province has a track record of promptly responding to calls for relief operations in past disasters nationwide and it is considered among the most equipped and trained disaster response team, having considerable experience in dealing with natural disasters like strong typhoons and volcanic eruptions. (SONNY SALES)