BACOLOD CITY – The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has initiated a fund-raising campaign for those devastated by the recent typhoons in Luzon.
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, national president of LCP, said on Tuesday that they will reach out to cities in the Visayas, Mindanao, and some parts of Luzon that were spared from calamities.
“There are a lot of unaffected cities that can help. We can also appeal to compassionate individuals and those people who make it their personal mission to help those in need,” he added.
On Monday, the LCP Special Committee for Typhoon Ulysses held an online meeting to discuss ways to raise enough funds by Dec. 11. The LCP Board will then decide how the funds will be distributed.
According to a report of lawyer Shereen Gail Yu-Pamintuan, executive director of LCP Secretariat, 76 cities are now under a state of calamity.
These include 59 cities hit by “Ulysses” and 17 cities successively affected by “Quinta,” “Rolly,” and “Ulysses”.
Mayor Arnan Panaligan of Calapan City said cities spared from disasters like theirs should have a sense of generosity to help others and heed the call of the LCP for help.
In Bacolod, the city government is set to donate PHP2-million financial assistance to typhoon-affected areas through the LCP.
It has also organized a drive to facilitate in-kind donations from the private sector through the Bayanihan Center located at the City Tourism Satellite Office.
Leonardia said that it was by God’s grace that Bacolod was spared from calamities.
“It is our civic duty to reach out and help in whatever way we can those local government units in Luzon hit hard by typhoons,” he added.
The LCP Special Committee for Typhoon Ulysses will ask assistance from the league’s vice presidents for Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region in contacting fellow mayors around the Philippines. (PNA)
