By Leilanie Adriano
LAOAG CITY – The provincial government of Ilocos Norte on Thursday donated boxes of relief goods to the victims of the deadly magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu and nearby provinces late Tuesday night.
As early as 3 a.m., uniformed personnel and provincial government staff were already at the Laoag International Airport loading boxes of family food packs on a Manila-bound Cebu Pacific aircraft.
From Manila, the relief items will then be transported to Cebu.
“We prepared 400 family food packs from the provincial government. This consists of five-kilogram rice, canned goods, milo and instant miki (noodles), among others,” acting provincial social welfare and development officer Rochelle Gajes told the Philippine News Agency.
Aside from food items, the Ilocos Norte government, through the initiative of Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos and Vice Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc, has also launched a cash donation drive for the affected families.
Araneta-Marcos expressed gratitude to Cebu Pacific and the individuals for waking up very early in the morning to ensure that the relief items were sent immediately so that they would reach Cebu on time.
“This is teamwork at its best. Thank you Vice Gov. Matt for initiating this, especially since part of his heart is Cebuano,” she said in a statement.
For his part, Manotoc expressed sympathy to the earthquake victims and wished for their quick recovery from the tragedy.
“To all of our Cebuano and Visayan brothers and sisters, please know that Ilocos Norte is thinking about you. We will do our part in ensuring that you will get back on your feet. Babangon po kayo (You will overcome this). Please keep your spirits up and help is underway,” he said in a separate statement. (PNA)
