Community

San Miguel Corporation’s (SMC) response efforts for provinces hit by typhoon Odette continue, with food and water donations totaling over P35 million to date.This, as fuel subsidiary Petron Corporation managed to restore full operations to most of its damaged service stations throughout the affected provinces, a press release from SMC said.SMC president and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang said on top of donations estimated at P30 million in the week following the typhoon in December, the company has continued to send food aid to affected provinces, with P5 million worth of additional food donations given out through partner organizations and its own businesses.SMC’s food donations, coursed through local government units, the military, and non-profit organizations, have rea...

Javi Benitez with Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.*Dr. Nia Zalamea-Ducklo, Renato Zalamea, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, and Javi Benitez (l-r).*Memphis Mission of Mercy lawyer Mark Crosby, Renato Zalamea and Javi Benitez (l-r).*Victorias City mayoralty aspirant Javier Miguel “Javi” Benitez is taking the initiative to make the long-felt dream of Victoriahanons for a hospital, a reality.Understanding the longing and plea for access to better healthcare, he picked up the pieces where the project had encountered unforeseen circumstances and buckled down to pursue the dream that was initially given life by his great grandmother, the late former Mayor Remedios Palanca-Bantug, a press release said Tuesday, January 11.Benitez re-connected via Zoom with the Memphis Mission of Mercy, a US...

Rotarians visited the site in Brgy. Camugao, Kabankalan City where most of the homes located below the bridge were wiped out by Typhoon Odette.*Residents await the distribution of relief goods from Rotary District 3850 Disaster Response Team.*The Rotary Club of Kabankalan with Past District Governor Jundad Legislador (center) led the distribution of goods in their city.*Dr. Jonicel Masweng of RC Kabankalan dressed the wound of a victim in Brgy. Cabadiangan, Sipalay.*Assistant Governor Alan Nuega hands over the construction repair kit won by a resident in Sipalay.*Rotarians handed over relief goods in Kabankalan City.*Sipalay Mayor Gina Lizares (4th from left) received the donated goods from District 3850 Disaster Response Team led by District Governor Nominee Mate Espina (3rd from left) an...

Brgy Mailum Kagawad Reneboy Hongoy (left) receives sacks of rice from EDC’s Community Partner Jayvi Valenzuela (right). EDC provided 110 sacks of rice to its partner communities in Bago City, Murcia, and Isabela, Negros Occidental.*The Energy Development Corp. (EDC) continues to extend its “pampamilyang malasakit” by conducting relief operations for its partner communities in Negros Oriental and Occidental that were affected by Typhoon Odette in December.More than 2,700 households benefitted from the 260 sacks of 50 kilograms of rice that EDC provided to its host communities in Valencia, Negros Oriental, and Bago City, Murcia, and Isabela in Negros Occidental.The donation to Isabela is in partnership with Dagiaw Experimental Theatre.“We are doing our best to help ease the b...

RU Foundry’s Ecological and Agricultural Development Foundation Inc. sent equipment to southern Negros Occidental to help farmers convert debris into organic fertilizer.*A Bacolod-based foundation is providing assistance to farmers in six Typhoon Odette-hit local government units in Negros Occidental and has launched a community garden for residents of Barangay Pahanocoy in Bacolod City.Ramon Uy Sr., president of the RU Foundry’s Ecological and Agricultural Development Foundation Inc., said the foundation will provide farmers in typhoon-hit areas with a P5,000 loan each, interest-free, to grow rice and vegetables, Uy said.Included are 80 farmers in Sipalay City, 50 in Candoni, 35 in Cauayan, as well as others in San Carlos City and Salvador Benedicto, and coffee growers in Murc...

More than 2,000 residents of Barangay 5 in Sipalay City thanked Sipalaynon actress Sue Ramirez and boyfriend Javi Benitez of Victorias City for the relief assistance they delivered, recently.The celebrity couple went to Sipalay City, which was among the worst hit by Typhoon Odette, with Provincial Consultant Albee Benitez to deliver rice and food packs, hygiene kits, and water.The Negros Occidental provincial government also provided assistance to the relief assistance drive, as well as several private sector donors.The celebrity couple led the distribution of the assistance, and interacted with the residents “to help ease the pain brought by their traumatic experiences and losses during the typhoon”.Former Rep. Mercedes Alvarez-Lansang joined the aid distribution assisted ...

Contributed photoThe Bacolod City Barangay Health Workers Federation placed second in the search for the Best Performing Barangay Health Workers Federation in the recently concluded 2021 BHW Performance Based Incentive Awards conducted by the Department of Health Western Visayas-Center for Health Development.Health Education and Promotion Officer (HEPO) III Sarah Soliguen said the Kaagapay sang Ikaayong Lawas Inc. was tied with the Province of Antique and was granted P250,000.The Federation was recognized in an online awarding on December 23 following a pre-evaluation last June 25 and a final evaluation on December 2, 2021.The PBI Awards is based on Department Memorandum 2009-0302, or the Reiteration of DOH Support for the Continuing Development of BHWs that illustrates the...

In the remote village of Amontay in the municipality of Binalbagan, which was also hit by Super Typhoon Odette, more than 60 families received slippers and holiday food packs during the outreach program dubbed as "Pamaskwa sa Tangkuban 2021" on Tuesday, December 28.The outreach activity was initiated by Payao National High School teacher Alfe Jardinico, and his family.Each family received a kilo of spaghetti and canned goods as well as sauces for their pasta while the children were given slippers.Candies and some cash prizes were also given away during the parlor games in the activity.According to Alfe, he visited the place a few months ago to check on their property when he found out that his family still has a parcel of land in the area which triggered the gift-giving ini...

The Negros 4 Leni – Silay City Chapter and the Silay City People’s Council for Leni held a simultaneous city-wide “Palugaw ni Leni and Kiko Para sa Silaynon” in all the 16 barangays of the city Thursday afternoon, December 30, lawyer Raul Bito-on said.There were 19 lugaw sites spread all over the city and more than 160 Leni-Kiko volunteers serve an estimated 4,000 cups of Leni lugaw and 8,000 pieces of pink pan de sal to Silaynons, Severino F. Pacete, a Leni-Kiko volunteer, said.The principal coordinators for the “Palugaw ni Leni and Kiko para sa Silaynon” were Lourex Gamboa, Bonnie Oribe, Connie Alvarez and Bitoon.The donors were Jose and Marissa Montelibano, Noel and Liandro, lawyer Rodolfo Quevenco, Dr. Donna Quevenco, Emilia Villavicencio, Ernesto Jaranilla, Connie Alvarez ...

The Rotary District 3850 Disaster Response Team distributed over a thousand relief goods and conducted medical missions in three affected barangays in Sipalay City on December 26, the day after Christmas.Members of various Rotary and Rotaract clubs in Negros Occidental deployed at 4 a.m, Sunday, to oversee and help the distribution of relief goods in Barangays Cabadiangan, Mambaroto and Nabulao in Sipalay, with the help of volunteer rescue group, Sunoi of Binalbagan.Thirty-two members of the rescue volunteer groups stayed behind in Sipalay to help in recovery and clearing operations.Sipalay Mayor Gina Lizares thanked the Rotarians for their effort, especially in facilitating the deployment of the Aquacube water purifier from Sagay City and conducting the medical mission that se...