During the ceremonial turnover of the 71 solar-powered shelters for families that lost their homes due to Typhoon Odette (Rai) on March 26, 2024, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon reiterated that PRC is the organization that helped the biggest when Odette struck the nation in 2021.
“I’m very happy and proud that I am here today—masaya ako dahil lahat kayo ay narito, may bago kayong tahanan with solar panels para hindi na kayo magbayad ng kuryente na may magandang view pa ng dagat, at higit sa lahat, kinaya natin ang pasubok ng Odette. Buhay na buhay ang turismo rito sa Alegria because you have a great Hon. Mayor Dr. Gilberto Magallon na kaibigan natin.
Sa katunayan, ang Philippine Red Cross ang may pinakamalaking naitulong sa buong Pilipinas noong nanalasa ang Bagyong Odette. Anim na raang milyong piso (P600 million) ang perang inilabas ng PRC para sa ating mga kababayan sa buong bansa, P110 million sa Cebu at umabot na sa isang bilyong piso [P1 billion] ang kabuuang tulong ng PRC sa probinsyang ito kaugnay ng iba’t ibang kalamidad (TY Odette, Ursula, and Naga City landslide) at Covid-19 pandemic,” said Gordon.
Odette was the strongest typhoon that struck the Philippines in 2021 where more than half of Cebu’s population of 5 million were affected by the disaster according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Bureau of Fire Protection stated that in the province’s capital, Cebu City, the total damages brought by TY Odette to infrastructure, utilities, and agriculture in Cebu City has reached P1.7 billion.
The 71 houses at the Red Cross Village at Barangay Poblacion Alegria, Cebu that cost about P32 million have solar panels made possible through the collaborative efforts of the PRC, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the local government of Alegria, Cebu.
The Full Shelter Assistance project focuses not only in the Queen City of the South but also in Bohol—provinces severely affected by TY Odette. Last May 2023, the PRC already turned over 70 full shelters in Talibon, Bohol.
Image credits: Contributed photo