by: Bobby Manzano, President & Executive Director, OSP
 |
| Typhoon Pablo aftermath in Baganga, Davao Oriental. Photo credit: John Javellana by rappler.com |
As I am writing this entry, our volunteers
are doing medical relief work in Baganga, Davao Oriental, where two weeks ago
typhoon Pablo made landfall cutting a wide swath of terror and destruction and leaving in its wake 156 dead, 431 injured, 21
still missing, and tales of misery and human suffering.
Our team, led by our Mindanao field director
Jojo Cembrano, pushed off last Thursday (Dec. 13th) for this town of
43,000 souls which is 316 kilometers away from Davao City. They will be
incommunicado for the duration of their five-day stay there as the
communication lines and cellular signal are still down.
I can just imagine the difficulties they will
face in this undertaking. The images I’ve seen on the web show a town that has
been flattened by the wrath of Typhoon Pablo.
Power has yet to be restored. Commercial activities are said to have
virtually ceased, which means food and water will be in very short supply.
From the last communication I received our
mission coordinator Gian Trebol, who flew from Manila to accompany our
volunteers, the team will be staying in a house, which roof has been blown
off. It’s one of the few structures left
standing and its walls will provide some protection against the elements.
Let’s all pray for the safety of our
volunteers. They will be subsisting on canned
goods and instant noodles and on rationed water and sleeping on cold beds for a
while. Their willingness to take risks
to their own persons to help others is truly commendable.
What our volunteers brought to Baganga is
more than just healing – they brought hope (as Operation Smile did in every
mission it mounted over the past 30 years). May this help spark the resolve among the
town’s devastated residents to rebuild their lives.
Typhoon Pablo shows us once again that the
human spirit triumphs even in the midst of tragedy.
For those who were spared the fury of typhoon
Pablo but cannot go personally to the affected areas to help,
you can still do your share by donating to help defray the cost of this relief
effort. You can deposit your donations
to:
Bank Name: United Coconut Planters Bank - Main Office Branch
Type: Peso Savings Account
Account Name: Operation Smile Philippines
Account Number: 001-128752-4
Bank Name: United Coconut Planters Bank - Main Office Branch
Type: US Dollar Account
Account Name: Operation Smile Philippines
Account Number: 01-001-303364-8
SWIFT CODE: UCPBPHMM
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