Church groups facilitate relief in Ilocos
2 MIN READ
By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net
BAGUIO CITY — As food insecurity looms over poor communities due to the destruction brought by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut), international, national and local church groups band together to deliver much needed relief.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and its global partners in the Action of Churches Together (ACT Alliance) distributed food packs, benefiting 614 families in Gulpeng, Pinili and Adams, both in Ilocos Norte, and Babayoan, Sta. Cruz in Ilocos Sur.
CHURCH DUTY. Church workers from the IREC bridged the way for NCCP-ACT Alliance’s delivery of food packs to Adams, Ilocos Norte. (Photo courtesy of IREC)
The Ilocos Regional Ecumenical Council (IREC) facilitated the selection of communities and delivery of goods. Each pack contains food items sufficient for 2 weeks for a family of five.
“The villages who received the relief were selected based on the rapid assessment that we conducted. They are the poorest among the affected communities, has received no or just meager assistance and have difficulty in recovering from the impacts of Ompong,” explained Reverend Lester Dipit, IREC’s general secretary.
He took note that response from government agencies and local governments are not sufficient, inefficient and in some parts tainted with politics.
“It is the church’s duty to extend help and respond to emergencies in communities, especially in times of disasters. But we don’t limit our task in providing the goods, we also give training on disaster preparedness to our member denominations and parishes,” the cleric added.
Dipit, who is a pastor of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and former Executive Director of the Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment and Development, shared that part of IREC’s program of action is on disaster response readiness.
ACT Alliance works for positive and sustainable change for poor and marginalized people. It is present in 120 countries with 146 member churches and related organizations. # nordis.net
