DSWD, Kapuso Foundation calling for donors, volunteers

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the GMA Kapuso Foundation, among other groups, are calling for more donors and volunteers for their relief operations in the wake of Typhoons Pedring and Quiel. DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman said the agency is accepting donations like bottled water, biscuits for children, and easy-to-cook foods and blankets through the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) located along the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Chapel Road in Pasay City.

The DSWD is also welcoming volunteers to repack relief goods, Soliman added in a statement issued Sunday. “Volunteers are a big help to DSWD in times of disasters, such as typhoons, because the manpower complement of the department is not enough to do all the repacking of relief goods," she said. Interested individuals or groups may call the NROC’s 24-hour hotlines 852-8081 and 851-2681. GMA Kapuso Foundation GMA Network’s corporate social responsibility arm, the GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc., is also accepting donations in cash and in kind, said its executive director Henry Perez in an interview on GMA News TV’s “On Call" newscast Sunday afternoon. “Ang higit na kailangan ay mga pagkain. May kausap tayo sa isang isolated na barangay. Ang sabi nila doon ay hindi sila sa baha mamamatay kundi sa gutom. Talagang pagkain ang ating dinadala ngayon," Perez said. In a post on its Facebook page, GMA Kapuso Foundation listed the following as the immediate needs for the relief operations: bottled water, rice, canned goods, and ready-to-eat food such as meal packs, bread, cereals, and cup noodles. The foundation also welcomes clothes, blankets, mats, and hygiene products. “Mahalaga rin ang pagdo-donate ng cash, sapagkat kapag bumibili tayo ng supplies, ginagawa natin ito by bulk. Mas marami tayong nabibili kapag ito ay by bulk," Perez said. Donors may deposit their donations in the Kapuso Foundation’s bank accounts, or send these through Cebuana Lhuillier branches (See sidebar). Ateneo-based group, Red Cross Other groups are also accepting donations for communities ravaged by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel. The Ateneo-based organization Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, through an online map, has identified the places in most need of aid, and invites donors to send their donations through their group. The Philippine Red Cross also accepts cash donations through its bank accounts, as listed on its website, and also through text messaging and G-Cash. Donors through text messaging can type RED (space) AMOUNT and send this to 2899 for Globe or 4143 for Smart. Those who would like to donate through G-Cash can text DONATE (space) AMOUNT (space) 4-digit M-PIN (space) REDCROSS and send this to 2882. Cellphone users can donate to the Red Cross in the following denominations: P5, P25, P100, P300, P500, or P1,000 for Globe; and P10, P25, P50, P100, P300, P500, and P1,000 for Smart. — KBK, GMA News