Lingkod Loren launches relief operations in four Mayon areas

LEGASPI CITY, – SEN. LOREN LEGARDA ON WEDNESDAY LAUNCHED HER OWN RELIEF OPERATIONS, DUBBED LINGKOD LOREN, SERVING SOME 2000 FAMILIES IN FOUR EVACUATION CENTERS FOR EVACUEES FROM MAYON’S VOLCANIC FURY.
Lingkod Loren distributed relief goods in coordination with local authorities to 763 families at the Gogon Elementary School, 431 families at the Albay Central School, 635 in the Daraga North Elementary School and 142 in the Camalig Elementary School.
The distribution was undertaken with the help of Mayor Noel Rosal of Legaspi City, Mayor Cicero Triumfante of Daraga and Mayor Irwin Baldo of Camalig.
The volunteers of Loren were assisted in the distribution of relief goods by members of the Women 4 Loren chapter in Albay province.
Loren, head of the Philippine Congress delegation in Copenhagen climate change forum, ordered the distribution activities even as Mayon continued to boom and rumble and spew ashes and hot lava, leading government volcanologists to warn that a major eruption may come soon.
National and local government disaster authorities have targeted the relocation of 45,366 individuals or 9,441 families from 31 villages lying in the 6-8 kilometer radius around Mayon volcano. The area was dubbed a “danger zone” by volcanologists.
Loren had rushed back immediately to the Philippines from Copenhagen right after the close of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change there in which she had participated as co-head of the Philippine delegation..
Even while in Copenhagen, Loren had watched closely the progress of Mayon’s activity and expected eruption. She appealed to national, provincial and municipal authorities to evacuate all persons and families within the danger zone.
She also appealed for adequate relief goods and assistance to the evacuees to prevent hunger and diseases from affecting the evacuees from both local and international relief agencies.
As the United Nations champion for disaster risk reduction in the Asia-Pacific region, Loren had campaigned with other leaders of developing countries for more relief and assistance from the developed nations for victims of natural disasters in the poor countries.
Loren said that since the developed countries are the most responsible for emitting the greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere and aggravate natural calamities, including typhoons, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, they have the “moral obligation” to assist people in developing countries that suffer from such calamities.