“I feel so hopeless whenever I remember what happened,” lamented Victor dela Cruz, a 50-year-old resident of Amulung in Cagayan Valley.
He could not help but become emotional every time he recalls the tragedy they experienced when Typhoon Ulysses lashed some parts of Luzon and caused major damage in the Cagayan region.
When the waters flooded their whole barangay, all their livestock – including a carabao and a cattle – drowned because they had to ensure the safety of their families first.
Those were the most distressing days of his life, and possibly, for most of the Cagayanos.
For 3-5 days, they stood drenched on their rooftops with nothing to eat, crying for rescue. All they could do was to pray for their lives to be spared from the imminent danger and for the water to subside. But when it finally did, the next scenes were more devastating.
“We couldn’t even eat that time,” Victor recalled. His small farm remained covered with mud, along with the other houses in their neighborhood.
Now that the typhoon has already left the country, Victor and other typhoon survivors were left wondering about how to rebuild their lives.
“We are hoping that someone would help us to start over again. We need carabaos in our farms so that we can provide food for our families and for our community,” Victor shared.
That is why when CBN Asia’s humanitarian arm, Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines, visited their community, Victor saw a ray of hope.
Hand in hand with faithful partners from Victory Christian Fellowship, the Philippine Army, and off-road volunteers, Operation Blessing provided much-needed food items, hygiene kits, and shelter materials to the residents of Barangay Anabuculan, Unag, and Abolo in Amulung.
Families – including Victor’s household – received food bags that would help them get by for a week. Apart from the material relief, the survivors also received prayers and words of encouragement from the team.
They heard the message of hope that one day, with the help of God, they can all get back on their feet.
This Social Welfare Week, you can help them rebuild their lives with dignity!
Through your prayers and giving, more disaster-stricken kababayans would receive the help they need and would see that there is hope – through God and through you.
You can make a tangible change and you can make it today!
Reach out to more Cagayanos by donating any amount through Operation Blessing’s website, through GCash (Operation Blessing), or through the following bank accounts with account name: Operation Blessing Foundation Phils., Inc.:
Banco De Oro (BDO)
Peso Account: 003-000-055-279
Dollar Account: 103-000-11-3333
Swift Code: BNORPHMM
Union Bank of the Philippines
Peso Account: 00-216-072163-9
Dollar Account: 13-216-000170-0
Swift Code: UBPHPHMM
Metrobank
Peso Account: 270-3-27050273-4
Dollar Account: 270-2-27000282-4
Swift Code: MBTCPHMM
Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)
Peso Account: 3001-0040-33
For more information on how to donate and make sponsorships, you may visit Operation Blessing’s Facebook page or contact 0939–921–5543 or 0918–906–7753.
(DSWD-SB-SP-00029-2019 Nationwide)
