The Philippine Catholic Church’s humanitarian arm said it will soon begin its recovery initiative, pledging to help families severely affected by typhoon Odette, especially those in the “peripheries”.
While Caritas Philippines will continue distributing relief aid, its head Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said they are trying their best to support affected families rebuild their houses and livelihoods.
“In the coming weeks, we will start rebuilding houses, providing emergency livelihood assistance and other priority needs,” Bagaforo said.
He encouraged the faithful to continue the “alay kapwa” (offering of oneself to others) to help those on the fringes of society.
“This our Caritas promise,” the bishop assured.
As of January 3, the national Caritas has received at least P39.9 million cash donations from private individuals, dioceses, companies, and its partners from the Caritas network.
The agency has served more than 41,900 families with food packs, water and other emergency assistance as of Dec. 31 last year.
According to its initial assessment, the typhoon-affected around 1.1 million families and displaced more than 452,000 people.
The disaster, it added, also destroyed more than half a million houses in at least 38 provinces.
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