CEBU, PHILIPPINES -The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) turned over 71 full shelters with solar-powered panels amounting to P30 million for families that lost their homes due to Typhoon Odette (Rai) on 26 March 2024 in Barangay Poblacion, Alegria, Cebu.
“As I’ve said, PRC stands for hope and we are always hopeful that what we are doing is paving the path for these families towards healing and recovery. Red Cross is not in the business of giving dole outs – we are in the business of giving hope. What’s also special about the additional shelters is that these are all solar-powered,” said PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon.
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The Full Shelter Assistance (FSA) project focused not only in the Queen City of the South but also in Bohol and Surigao del Norte—the provinces severely affected by Typhoon Odette in 2021. Last May 2023, the PRC already turned over 70 full shelters in Talibon, Bohol.
The project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) under the leadership of the IFRC Head of Delegation Sanjeev Kafley and IFRC Program Coordinator Gopal Mukherjee, and the Municipality of Alegria.
Odette was the strongest typhoon that struck the Philippines in 2021 where more than half of Cebu’s population of five million were affected by the disaster according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) stated that in the province’s capital, Cebu City, the total damages brought by Typhoon Odette to infrastructure, utilities, and agriculture in Cebu City reached P1.7 billion.
In Cebu alone, the PRC and its partners already built 8,741 houses; repaired 1,263 houses; provided livelihood assistance to 8,854 families; cash grants to 12,517 families; and food items to 21,789 households. These provisions are part of the P1 billion worth of developmental projects given by the PRC to vulnerable people in the province because of Typhoons Odette and Ursula, Naga City Landslide, and COVID-19 pandemic.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and PhilHair President and beauty guru Ricky Reyes strengthened their collaboration and formally launched this year’s Health and Beauty Caravan last March 20 at SM Megamall.
The Health and Beauty Caravan was first introduced on March 14 2022. From then, the PRC Health Caravan was able to support numerous beauty caravans in 67 communities, serving over 15,000 individuals, including mothers and the elderly.
“With the kindness of Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon and Secretary General Dr. Gwen [and through the Health and Beauty Caravan], all the people [in] communities ay mararanasan ang alagang Red Cross [can experience the Red Cross care,” Mother Ricky Reyes said in an interview.
An initiative of Chairman Gordon, the Health Caravan is part of the PRC’s efforts to bring health services directly to communities. It offers free health consultation, health kit distribution, health and hygiene promotion, first aid training, blood typing, mother’s kit for pregnant women, routine immunization, and hot meal distribution to serve the most vulnerable.
At the event, Dr. Pang said the PRC is 100% committed to the initiative, adding, “We have recruited and trained over 500 new volunteers to accommodate the Health and Beauty Caravan. This year, we are targeting to reach 10,000 individuals.”
Representatives from Metro Manila Mayors’ Spouses Foundation Inc, Philippine Cancer Society, SM, and Mandaluyong Vice Mayor Menchie Abalos were also present in the event.
In the midst of a humanitarian crisis, women and children are disproportionately affected. Crises exacerbate their vulnerability, expose them to violence, and limit their access to education, livelihoods, and healthcare. It is against this background that the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is working to intensify and strengthen its Protection, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI) actions to address violence, discrimination, and exclusion in the context of humanitarian aid.
Today, the PRC joins the world in celebrating Women’s Month on the theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” of the United Nations to show appreciation to all the women contributors of the PRC who helped bridge the gender gap and provide inclusive and sustainable assistance for all.
Women make up a significant portion of the organization’s workforce. The PRC has women volunteers, staff, and leaders in its emergency and disaster response, ambulance teams, and health services. One of PRC’s leaders is its current Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, who is also behind the Women’s Action for Gender and Inclusion (WAGI), a community savings group that allows women of all ages and backgrounds, especially in marginalized areas, to incorporate a culture of saving in their communities, thereby empowering them and bringing economic security closer to them.
Also among the influential women of the PRC are the late Mrs. Amelia Gordon, Mrs. Kate Gordon, Rosa Rosal, PRC Vice Chairman Corazon Alma De Leon, PRC Counselor Atty. Lorna Patajo Kapunan, PRC Assistant Treasurer Leonida “Baby” Ortiz, and PRC Governor Jenni Munar.
“We invest in women. They are among those who step up and keep their families strong in the midst of disaster or armed conflict. We are committed to providing assistance and enhancing lifesaving skills for women, teens, elders, mothers, and the LGBTQ community,” said Dr. Pang.
PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all the women of the PRC: “Behind every successful project or activity of the PRC stands a woman. The women of the PRC have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the voice of women is heard and represented in every dialogue and every step of planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the processes of the PRC’s humanitarian agenda.”
We, at the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), express our deepest concern for the 216 people reported by Agusan del Sur Provincial Health Officials, as having been hospitalized on Monday night due to a food- or water-borne illness in Brgy. Tandang Sora in Esperanza, Agusan del Sur.
The welfare of the people is of utmost concern to us and we are doing everything we can to ensure that every individual taken to the hospital is out of harm’s way at the soonest time.
We are comforted to learn from our chapter in Agusan del Sur that as of last night, 90 of the patients were already discharged and our local teams assisted the local government in taking a number of the patients to their respective houses. We will continue to follow up on their situation.
We have coordinated with the local government to ensure that the needs of the affected people are immediately addressed. We have also set up a welfare desk at Esperanza Medicare Community Hospital to help the remaining patients and their relatives. We provided medicines to help patients as some hospital executives alerted PRC of the need for increased medicines.
While the cause of the health emergency remains under investigation by the local government, our hot meals program in the province was suspended until the completion of the probe.
We will wait for the results of the ongoing investigation and extend our support to the authorities as they conduct the investigation. We will remain transparent and will closely coordinate with the local government on this serious matter.
As of 10pm on February 20, we have served 1,142 food packs in Agusan del Sur. For the entire Mindanao operation, from the time the province started experiencing shearline and trough of the low pressure area (LPA), we have provided sleeping kits to 916 families – 211 of which were sent to Agusan del Sur (AgSur); hygiene kits to 1,042 families – 286 of which went to AgSur; non-standard hygiene kits to 96 families; jerry cans to 1,042 families – 286 of which were sent to AgSur; and kitchen sets to 984 families – 518 to families in AgSur.
A total of 432 PRC volunteers and 59 PRC staff showed up to help Mindanao. About 3,020 families received non-food items; and prepositioned 140 pieces of cadaver bags, 50 of which were already utilized.
PRC sent an overwhelming response for Mindanao with eight food trucks, three water tankers, one 6×6 truck, five ambulance units, three relief trucks, three volunteer emergency response vehicles (VERVs), one buffalo tank, and four water bladders composed of 5,000-liter load and 10,000-liter load.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Esperanza Mayor Deo Manpatilan, Jr. was quoted as saying: “This is not the time to point fingers especially since the Philippine Red Cross only wants to help. There is an ongoing investigation. We hope to prevent the same situation from happening in the future.”
LEFT-RIGHT: REACT Regional Chief, Dr. Antonio Agustin; REACT National President, Mr. Henry Bicoy; PRC Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, and PRC Assistant Secretary General for Corporate and Business Services, Mr. Ramon Murillo.
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Regional Emergency Assistance Communications Team (REACT) Philippines, Inc. signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) today to solidify their collaboration in humanitarian responses and intensify the former’s communication capacity in times of emergencies and crisis.
PRC Secretary-General Dr. Gwen Pang signed the MOA with REACT National President, Mr. Henry Bicoy, and REACT Regional Chief, Dr. Antonio Agustin, at PRC’s National Headquarters in Mandaluyong.
The MOA ensures that the PRC can call on and mobilize REACT’s first aiders, medical personnel, engineers, search and rescue teams, and radio operators, among others, during emergency and disaster operations. REACT also pledged to utilize its communication resources to help PRC fortify its communication capacity and support PRC’s service delivery programs and humanitarian campaigns, such as blood donation drives and RC143 volunteering program.
PRC Chairman and CEO, Richard “Dick” Gordon, expressed his gratitude to REACT, saying, “We are looking for organizations, agencies, and individuals that can work with us in alleviating the sufferings of the most vulnerable Filipinos and REACT is definitely one of them. We stand ready to provide training to your first responders.”
Dr. Gwen Pang, in her speech, reiterated the importance of the partnership and its crucial role in supporting PRC’s operations: “In situations where internet and communication networks are unreliable, we use radios to communicate. This partnership with REACT is vital in the communication aspect of our humanitarian operations, especially those in geographically-isolated areas where there is limited network coverage.”
REACT is the largest Radio Civic Organization in the country, and it first started its partnership with the PRC in 2008. PRC Assistant Secretary General for Corporate and Business Services, Mr. Ramon Murillo, and PRC Disaster Management Services Manager, Ms. Criselda Longga, were also present in the MOA signing ceremony.
Caption: PRC Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, signed the MOA along with PRC Caloocan Chapter OIC, Mr. Carlo Angeles, Chairman of PRC Caloocan Chapter’s Board of Directors, Mr. Danilo Sanchez, MCU University President, Dr. Renato Tanchoco, Jr., and MCU Academic Affairs Director, Ms. Giandelu Carissa Santos.
CALOOCAN, METRO MANILA – In a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing ceremony today, January 22, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Manila Central University (MCU) strengthened their partnership to serve the country together in case of disasters and humanitarian emergencies.
“We are establishing partnerships with different institutions to prepare for crises and disasters, especially now that more catastrophic events are happening in the world, and our country is ranked number one in disaster risk. The partnership between the PRC and the MCU is one excellent way to be prepared,” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon said.
In the agreement, the PRC and MCU vowed to optimize each other’s medical and welfare services. PRC and MCU will further train their medical personnel in mass casualty incidents (MCIs) to prepare for large-scale disasters, especially earthquakes and typhoons. In the event that hospitals become overwhelmed or there are not enough beds for patients during such cases, the PRC will build Emergency Field Hospitals (EFH) and MCU’s member-doctors will be ready to provide emergency medical duties to PRC’s EFH.
MCU also agreed to intensify its support to PRC’s humanitarian activities, such as the Red Cross Youth and Membership Accident Assistance Benefits (MAAB) program, which provide protection to members through accident insurance coverage in exchange for their volunteer service. The PRC, meanwhile, vowed to provide capacity-building activities, such as simulation exercises and immersion experiences, for MCU employees and students.
PRC Secretary-General, Dr. Gwen Pang, meanwhile, views the partnership as an opportunity to nurture students, the future citizens of the country, to not only be academically proficient but also compassionate, resilient, and ready to contribute to the betterment of society.
MCU has been a partner of PRC in various humanitarian endeavors for the last decade, including participation in PRC’s blood donation drives, providing training to its medical students and teaching personnel under PRC’s first aid and basic life support courses, and enrolling over 1000 students and university personnel for PRC’s MAAB program. Member-doctors of the MCU also served as volunteers in PRC’s Operation during the Feast of the Black Nazarene and currently assist in PRC’s health caravan, a healthcare and medical consultation activity conducted nationwide.
Last October 2023, representatives from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) National Headquarters and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) visited Bungkaras Evacuation Center, the remaining evacuation facility in Albay for families affected by Mayon Volcano’s ongoing unrest. The purpose of the visit was to determine the specific areas where additional assistance could be provided.
Among the families they met are the families of Rona Villanueva, Lorna Padilla, Amy Nabor, and Abby Solano who were then taking turns cooking in the community kitchen set up by the PRC. They were frying tuyo (salted dried fish) and sautéing sweet potato leaves for their children’s first meal of the day. The food they had prepared was only enough to get them through the day, but they still shared the food with the visiting staff.
“Every day I keep worrying and thinking if Mayon will erupt. Our life since June is uncertain,” said Amy Nabor, a mother of three, in Filipino.
“I had to transfer my two children to a school within walking distance of the evacuation center. For them, this means adjusting and adapting to an environment entirely new to them,” Rona Villanueva, a mother of five, shared in Filipino.
“In the previous evacuation center, we had to share a room with ten other families. I was worried that my children would get sick because of the crowded spaces,” Lorna Padilla, also a mother of five, said in Filipino.
“I did not grow up here, so I am worried for my baby because this is our first time to evacuate,” said first-time mother Abby Solano, as she related in Filipino.
Mayon Volcano’s effusive eruption in the first week of June has forced thousands of families to leave their homes and livelihood in the mountain’s foothills. While majority of the population who preemptively evacuated have already returned home in September, there are 50 families from Barangay Anoling, which is within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone of Mayon, whose lives are still far from normal as they huddle in Bungkaras Evacuation Center because of the volcano’s continuing unrest.
The PRC, in partnership with IFRC, continues to support the provincial government of Albay in providing crucial aid to families who were evacuated from the danger zones. The following humanitarian aid was given to over 10,000 individuals since Day 1: 90,000 hot meals; over 3,050,000 liters of water; 900 loaves of bread; four community kitchens; sleeping kits and jerry cans to approximately 2,500 families; 3,662 feminine kits; and 1,210 hygiene kits.
“The hot meals help me in breastfeeding my baby, while the community kitchen helps me cook food for my other children before they head to school, a food that can hold them over until the next mealtime,” shared Lorna.
Rona, meanwhile, expressed her gratitude for the aid, especially for the provision of clean water: “Volunteers refill this [water bladder] daily. Because of this, we have access to clean water every day.”
The PRC also conducted Psychosocial First aid to 1,521 individuals, facilitated child-friendly spaces to 4,426 children, organized menstrual hygiene management to 1,389 women, conducted hygiene promotion, provided medical care to over 700 persons, demonstrated first-aid skills to 500 individuals, and provision of health awareness through the distribution of 5,700 brochures and posters on Dengue, Leptospirosis, and cough and colds.
“The volunteers gave the children storybooks and drawing materials. As a mother, these are important for me. Although my child is only one year old and cannot read yet, I still read the storybooks to him before we sleep at night,” said Abby.
PRC Chairman and CEO, Dick Gordon, said that the organization will provide assistance that goes beyond immediate response efforts, adding, “We will continue to collaborate with the provincial government of Albay in the next phase of aid and recovery for evacuees until normalcy is restored.”
The Research Division Chief of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), Eugene Escobar, mentioned that a number of families residing within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone of Mayon volcano had been permanently relocated years ago. However, over time, generations of these families returned to the area when they started their own families, as they did not have their own land to build their homes.
**This article was written on November 20, 2023. The remaining evacuees returned to their houses last December 8, 2023.
PASAY CITY, METRO MANILA – Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard “Dick” Gordon expressed gratitude to Italian food company Barilla and Marriott Hotel Manila for celebrating the World Pasta Day by donating 500 bowls of nutritious pasta and 500 banana loaves to students, some of whom are Red Cross Youth, at Villamor Air Base Elementary School last October 25, 2023.
“We’ve partnered with hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and food storage facilities to provide food for the most vulnerable, whether during times of disaster or in non-disaster situations. I am grateful to all our partners for helping PRC support our most vulnerable communities,” Gordon said.
Executive Chef Meik Brammer of Marriott said that donating food to the underprivileged through the PRC is among the hotel giant’s means of addressing food wastage. Marriott Hotel is a food donor of the PRC for over 12 years, serving freshly-cooked food to over 20,000 beneficiaries.
Food donations significantly contributed to addressing two of PRC’s key advocacies: food insecurity and child malnutrition, which Gordon reiterated during his discussion at the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences (ISSAAS) conference on November 8 in Manila.
Gordon, during his first term as a senator in 2009, authored the Republic Act No. 9803 (RA9803) or the Food Donation Act of 2009, which aims to address the country’s growing hunger problem and bring dignity back to the most vulnerable simultaneously. Under this law, donors are encouraged to donate food for charitable purposes and to reduce food wastage. Chairman Gordon explained that the donors give untouched food from buffet tables, not leftover food.
PRC’s food coordinator, Ms. Micot Juico, and PRC-Pasay City Chapter staff, Ms. Shara Mae Arceo, facilitated the food donation activity.
As the country commemorates the historic Super Typhoon Haiyan this November, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) highlights the noteworthy accomplishments of its response, recovery, and resilience programs in the affected areas. One of the worst-hit provinces was Capiz. The Philippine Red Cross shared that overall, it provided PhP448.6 million in recovery interventions in the province.
“We are globally acknowledged as one of the leading Red Cross societies. In the aftermath of the Haiyan disaster, we demonstrated our capacity to gather support from numerous Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) societies globally and effectively distribute aid to various provinces. The Haiyan incident underscored the reputation of Red Cross as a dependable organization, solidifying its position as the preferred partner,” said Richard “Dick” Gordon, Chairman and CEO of the PRC.
Aside from the PRC, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the German Red Cross, the Hong Kong Red Cross, the Singapore Red Cross, and the Swiss Red Cross implemented the humanitarian assistance program in Capiz.
The RCRC Movement built 7,233 homes for displaced people, provided livelihood training and cash assistance to 6,945 households, built WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities in 24 schools, reconstructed or constructed 12 health facilities, and built 25 classrooms.
Dr. Gwen Pang, Secretary-General of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), said that the PRC assumed control by allocating various national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to the impacted provinces and cities, implementing a coordinated intervention program.
Super Typhoon Haiyan affected over 16 million people in more than 600 municipalities and cities. It displaced more than 800,000 families. The PRC mounted a P4.9 billion recovery program, benefiting over 390,000 families across 10 provinces and cities.
MANDALUYONG, METRO MANILA – Volunteers and staff of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continue to aid families affected by the low pressure area (LPA) and the shearline that brought incessant rains over the weekend in the eastern sections of Visayas and Luzon.
The PRC – Northern Samar Chapter served hot meals to 153 individuals and set up a welfare desk and first aid station at the Polangi Evacuation Center to provide physical and mental medical attention to evacuees. In Quezon Lucena, the PRC’s first aid station monitored the blood pressure of 38 evacuees, while the PRC’s welfare desk provided psychological first aid (PFA) and facilitated child-friendly spaces for over 100 individuals.
Provision of food, water, PFA, and basic medical care constitute the standard response and rescue efforts of the PRC to reinstate evacuees’ access to essential necessities amid disruptions.
According to PRC Chairman and CEO Dick Gordon, terrains and other areas in the affected regions are susceptible to landslides and mudslides due to the saturated soil caused by heavy rainfall. “Our payloaders are positioned for clearing operations, ensuring continuous assistance to geographically isolated areas,” he added.
As of writing, there are 12 evacuation centers in Northern Samar, Western Samar, and Masbate housing 1,460 individuals.
Born officially in 1947, but with roots that traces back to the revolutionary days, the Philippine Red Cross has truly become the premier humanitarian organization in the country, committed to provide quality life-saving services that protect the life and dignity especially of indigent Filipinos in vulnerable situations.
