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Monday, November 25, 2013

Dumingag parishioners donate 770 packs of relief goods for “Yolanda” victims

By Gideon C. Corgue
PAGADIAN CITY – “We are touched by what happened to our kababayans (brethren) in the Visayas region.”

Thus disclosed San Jose assistant parish priest Father Elvin Sabandal of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur in an interview with Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-9 after the two truckloads of relief goods were unloaded at said office, the designated drop-off center of the 1st Infantry Tabak division’s “Oplan Tabang Visayas.”

Sabandal said super typhoon Yolanda’s (international name, Haiyan) fury prompted the parishioners to donate relief goods for the victims in Tacloban City, Leyte.  

Sabandal said the San Jose Parish through parish priest June Nilo Vics, in his homily, appealed to the parishioners to donate relief goods such as rice, bottled water, canned goods, and noodles to support the relief operations for the victims.  

“We are impressed with the overwhelming support of the community on our appeal for donations to the victims,” Sabandal said adding that a total of 770 packs of in-kind donations arrived at San Jose Parish church an hour after the mass.    

The donation, Sabandal said, was meant to convey the parishioner’s deepest sympathies to those affected by this great tragedy.

 “With this, we are sincerely grateful to the parishioners, the schools and other generous donors. It is heartwarming that at this time of tragedy, we are seeing the deep concern of our people,” Sabandal stressed.

Christian Padayhag, a senior student of San Jose Academy said he had volunteered in repacking the relief items as a way of helping the typhoon victims. And he never felt tired.

When asked what motivated him to volunteer, Padayhag answered that he pitied the victims every time he sees them on TV begging for food, water and other relief goods.

Sabandal also expressed his thanks to the parishioners and student-volunteers who assisted in repacking the relief goods so they could quickly transport the goods to Tacloban City. (PIA9)