More than 120 households in Barangay Linothangan, Canlaon City, received relief goods, clothing, and school supplies from the Negros Oriental Broadcasters Association (NOBA) and partner business process outsourcing (BPO) firm WrkPod during a relief mission recently.
The beneficiaries were survivors of Typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi), which hit Canlaon City on Nov. 4.
A 20-member team of NOBA officers and WrkPod Care Crew volunteers delivered 42 boxes of 6.6-liter bottled water, 360 1-liter bottles of water, 60 packs of school supplies, 100 grocery packs, and more than 100 five-kilo bags of rice. Used clothing was also distributed.
Alfonsita Dayanan, a resident of Upper Linothangan, was among the recipients. She thanked the donors for reaching communities outside the main evacuation centers
“Nakabulig-bulig gud sa amo bisan ginagmay lang kay talagsa ra kami maabtan dire tuod kay kalabanan didto sa evacuation. Nagpasalamat ko sa nadawat namo senina sa mga bata ug namo, kaning bugas, ug tubig. Dako na ning bulig kay wala mi tubig dire,” Dayanan said. (“This is a great help to us because we are rarely reached here. Most relief is focused in evacuation centers. We are thankful for the clothes, rice, and drinking water. It means a lot because we don’t have water here.”)
Dayanan shared that their house was submerged in knee-deep floodwater when Typhoon Tino struck. Her family evacuated immediately, but one of her children was later hospitalized for pneumonia due to exposure to cold weather.
Barangay Kagawad Edmundo Estacion said 1,700 families in their village were affected. Many have yet to return to farm work because rice fields remain covered with rocks and debris carried by the floods. Despite this, Estacion remains hopeful.
“Kami na mga Canlaonian, bangon lang gud mi. Maka-survive ra gud mi. Kami naninguha nga ang barangay namo ug ang siyudad sa Canlaon mga makabangon ang Canlaon. Nagpasalamat ko sa NOBA nga sa diin naghatag sila namo og suporta,” he said. (“We Canlaonians will rise again. We can survive this. We are doing our best to help our barangay and the city recover. We thank NOBA for their support.”)
NOBA president Anthony Maginsay, a radio anchor at DYWC Radyo Bandilyo, said broadcasters from various stations solicited donations from their listeners.
“Sa mga listener sa nagkadaiyang radio station sa Negros Oriental daghan kaayong salamat ninyo tanan. Nakatabang gyud ning dako para ang kaning donation drive magmalampuson,” Maginsay said. (“To the listeners of the different radio stations in Negros Oriental, thank you. Your help made this donation drive successful.”)
NOBA is a group of broadcast reporters and anchors in Negros Oriental. The activity is part of its community service program.
WrkPod Care Crew president Ardi Bulandres said the effort marks the beginning of more volunteer and community service initiatives from the company in partnership with local groups.
“The recent typhoon that struck our families, friends, and colleagues in Canlaon has brought us together with a renewed sense of purpose. Through this, the WrkPod Care Crew Team was officially created, and this relief effort is only the beginning,” Bulandres said. | With reports from Philippine Information Agency Infocen Office, Negros Oriental, Region 7
