UST’S fund drive for victims of typhoon “Yolanda” raised P5 million in cash and in-kind donations, officials said.
Cash donations totalling P1,321,499 and an estimated P3,450,000 worth of goods were received by the Tulong Tomasino Para sa Visayas program under the Simbahayan Community Development Office.
The donations came from the Thomasian community, Dominican priests and laity, and other partner institutions. Donations were brought to the towns of Coron, Palawan; Palo, Leyte; Bantayan, Cebu; and Guiuan, Eastern Samar; and to the provinces of Capiz, Aklan, Iloilo, and Antique.
A total of 2,666 Thomasian volunteers from the different colleges and faculties helped in the repacking and delivery of goods, through the National Service Training Program (NSTP). Medicine students also conducted medical missions and guidance counseling.
Simbahayan Director Marielyn Quintana said the donation of goods was part of the first phase of the program, which is emergency and relief response.
“That’s what we did immediately after the typhoon. So part of that is the relief operations,” she said. “We also provided relief goods to some members of the Thomasian community whose families were affected.”
The Simbahayan did not intend to provide relief goods at first, asking only for cash donations, but eventually accepted in-kind donations.
“What the Simbahayan solicited were the cash donations. It just so happened that the Central Student Council and the Student Organizations Coordinating Council decided [to ask for] goods,” Quintana said.
“Donations from Sto. Domingo [Church] and from the other Domincian schools also came. That’s why we repacked goods.”
Support from alumni
Quintana also recognized the participation of alumni in the relief drive.
“We distributed the goods through our alumni, specifically the alumni priests that we had contacts with. [They] were the ones who facilitated the distribution of the goods.”
In the second phase of the program, rehabilitation and recovery response, 900 temporary shelters were provided to the towns of Altavas and Batan, Aklan; Baybayin, Capiz; Guiuan, Eastern Samar; and Palo, Leyte.
Moreover, 150 sets of solar panels were installed in Aklan, providing electricity to two parishes and communities. The panels were produced by Engineering students led by Rikki Macolor.
Simbahayan has also started its Livelihood Assistance Project, wherein 100 sets of fish cages, boats, and nets will be provided to 1,000 families in Batan, Aklan.
“In this program, the families will be clustered into 10 [per] group. They will be provided with a set of taba (nets) that will cost P50,000 each,” Quintana said.
Simbahayan will monitor the progress of the livelihood project for two months to see if it could continue its support to community. Lord Bien G. Lelay
