RAFI
sending Samar financial assistance
By Ramon Aboitiz Foundation
Inc.
December 18, 2014
CEBU CITY – After
consulting its partner organizations in the province, the Ramon
Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) will be giving cash aid instead of
relief goods to help families, particularly those in Northern Samar,
recover from the effects of typhoon Ruby.
“Around 1,600 families with
totally damaged houses in the towns of Lope de Vega, Lapinig, Mapanas,
Gamay, and Mondragon in Northern Samar will receive the cash
assistance,” said Margaret Ann T. Gravador, Executive Director of the
RAFI Integrated Development Unit and the designated Operations Head of
the RAFI Disaster Response Team for typhoon Ruby.
Gravador said RAFI have
decided to give cash assistance instead of relief goods to the
families to “provide them more options to buy their respective needs.”
“Some families might need
building materials while others may need other things,” she said.
The target areas were
identified based on the assessment report by the Diocesan Social
Action Center of Catarman (DSAC), an organization that closely
coordinated with RAFI a few days after Ruby tore through the Visayas
and Southern Luzon early this month.
Yesterday, Gravador led a
five-person team to validate the information RAFI’s partner
organizations provided and to further check for other needs of the
typhoon survivors. Gravador assured that beneficiaries would receive
the financial assistance before the year ends.
Aside from DSAC, RAFI also
partnered with SHIFT Foundation based in Mondragon, Northern Samar and
the International Rescue Committee in their disaster relief
initiatives.
Dominica B. Chua, RAFI chief
operating officer, said the foundation chose Samar because it was hit
the worst by Ruby.
She said that based on the
foundation’s assessment, Cebu local government units were deemed
capable enough in handling the situation in their respective
jurisdictions, which is why RAFI is assisting those LGUs that badly
need help the most.
Metro Cebu Development
Coordinating Board co-chairman Roberto Aboitiz earlier said he was
impressed and glad over the response of Cebu LGUs in preparing for
typhoon Ruby.
Receiving updates from RAFI
assessment teams sent immediately after Ruby hit Cebu, Aboitiz said
the mayors did their job in preparing their respective localities and
“seeing to it that their constituents are at the top of their plans.”
“They are more focused on
what they need to do,” Aboitiz had said, adding that the disaster
preparedness response was a product of past lessons learned.