| BI activates relief efforts for “Sendong” victims |
|
DECEMBER 23, 2011 The Bureau of Immigration (BI) today formed a special task force that will spearhead the agency’s relief efforts for victims of Tropical Storm ‘Sendong.’ Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. announced the creation of the task force even as he appealed to the bureau’s rank and file to donate cash, used clothing and other relief goods for the typhoon victims. David also appealed to the bureau’s stakeholders to join them in the spirit of sharing and giving for those who are in badly need.
The task force will be headed by BI Associate Commissioner Abdullah Mangotara together with seven other bureau officials as members. The BI chief said the task force was directed to manage the Bureau’s relief efforts for the typhoon victims, particularly in collecting donations, in cash and in kind, from the rank and file, and in facilitating their transport to the affected areas for distribution to the victims. “It was likewise instructed to coordinate with BI Alien Control Officers and local government officials in the calamity-affected areas relative to the conduct of the relief operations,” David added. More than 600 people have been reported killed by the typhoon, many of them in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities. Several fatalities were also reported in Dumaguete City and other towns of Negros Oriental. Most affected by the floods are rural, urban and coastal communities in the northern provinces of Mindanao, including Surigao and Agusan provinces, Siargao Island, Dinagat, Bukidnon, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley, Camiguin island, Lanao, and Zamboanga provinces. Flooding also occurred in the Visayas, especially in Negros Oriental. ### |
