17 July 2014, 9:43 p.m. – MORE THAN 200 students trooped to UST Thursday to help clean up the campus after the onslaught of Typhoon “Glenda.”
The Student Organizations Coordinating Council (SOCC) and the Central Student Council (CSC) assisted the Facilities Management Office (FMO) in a clearing and cleaning operation.
“Nakaka-overwhelm ‘yung response ng Thomasian community, akala namin puro mga councils lang ‘yung pupunta pero pati freshmen nag-volunteer din,” SOCC President Danisse Odiña said in an interview.
Typhoon “Glenda,” which had winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, passed Metro Manila Wednesday morning, shutting down offices and schools in the capital and neighboring areas.
But there was no serious damage to the University apart from fallen trees, said FMO Director Fr. Roberto Pinto, O.P.
“It’s more of ‘yung mga puno talaga. May mga tumumba pero pwede pa rin buhayin,” he said in an interview. “Mga limang malalaking puno lang talaga ‘yung tumumba, the rest maliliit na. Wala tayong masyadong damage.”
Pinto compared the aftermath of “Glenda” with that of “Milenyo,” which also devastated most parts of Luzon in 2006.
“Puro hangin talaga, similar ito [noong] Milenyo kung saan marami ding natumbang puno,” he said.
CSC President Ina Vergara said a relief project would be launched by the council to help people affected by the typhoon.
“We have a plan for Tulong Tomasino. We are contacting the [Dominican Network] Youth-Bicol kasi nabalitaan naming 600 families were evacuated there and affected din diyan ang Central Luzon and NCR,” Vergara said.
The relief project will start as soon as beneficiaries of the project are identified. A. F. Merez
