Munti sends volunteer team to adopted Leyte towns

Call it an early Christmas gift.

A total of 30 volunteers from various departments, including health, rescue, and relief workers from the City of Muntinlupa will be visiting this week the “adopted” towns of Alangalang and Jaro in Leyte as the first step in the rebuilding of places hit hard by super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan).

Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi and Rep. Rodolfo Biazon will be leading the contingent to assess the needs of the towns and determine what the City can do as part of the rebuilding effort.

“We believe that in the spirit of Christmas, the best gift we can give our kababayan in Leyte is the gift of hope,” Fresnedi said. “It is our privilege to be part of the rehabilitation of Alangalang and Jaro because the people of Muntinlupa have the opportunity to be part of a lasting legacy—the rebuilding of lives.”

Volunteers from the Ospital ng Muntinlupa, City Health Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, Rescue, and other related departments will be bringing relief goods and will conduct a survey of the affected towns. The aim of the visit is to establish a command post and communications point through which the towns can coordinate aid coming from the City as well as other sources.

According to Mayor Rolando Celebre of Jaro and Mayor Loreto Yu of Alangalang, urgent needs include clothes, food, medicines, generator sets, and heavy-duty chain saws to speed up clearing operations and restore normalcy to the hard-hit areas.

Fresnedi is encouraging the participation of the private sector as well as civic groups in the rebuilding of the two towns. A dedicated account is being set up to receive donations from Muntinlupeños abroad, while the sister-city of Takasaki is setting up arrangements to send help as well.