VILLAR EXTENDS RESCUE AND RELIEF AID
FOR PANGASINAN "PEPENG" VICTIMS

Just as tropical depression "Pepeng" was about to leave the Philippines, it had to give its last devastating goodbye. In scenes reminiscent of the typhoon "Ondoy's" assault on Metro Manila last September 26, panicked Pangasinan residents escaped to their rooftops as they watch their homes get ravaged by floodwater. Nacionalista Party (NP) President Sen. Manny Villar went out to extend help to the flood victims who are in dire need of relief and assistance.

"Initially, I thought that the relief and assistance missions would last for a couple of days following the typhoon 'Ondoy.' Now, we are on our third consecutive week of efforts in alleviating the disasters brought by the two storms, and as long as it is feasible, we are there to offer help," Villar said in his Saturday radio program, Sa Maunlad na Kabukiran which airs at Radyo Natin DZRH.

He added, "The same goes with the OFW rescue missions that I have been pursuing; it started out with helping out a few OFWs who have reached out asking for help, and now it has been an ongoing operation since there are constant updates of abused and mistreated OFWs around the world. I feel for their hardships abroad and I personally took it upon myself to bring them home." On Saturday October 10, Villar visited the Pangasinan victims of the tropical depression "Pepeng" at the football field of Pangasinan State University in Bayambang which has been converted to an evacuation center.

Villar has deployed trucks and rubber boats to aid in the rescue of the residents who are stranded on their roofs. He was also able to do an ocular inspection via helicopter yesterday to scan the Pangasinan vicinity in search of those who required urgent rescuing, and whatever help he and his team could give.

It was the continuous downpour of rains, aggravated by the release of water from the San Roque Dam swelled waterways especially the Agno River, caused major dikes to give way, and swamped more than 30 towns in eastern and central Pangasinan. In total, over 25,000 families are reported to have been evacuated, although 317,000 families or 1.8 million residents have been heavily affected by the flooding. "Pepeng" destroyed some P239 miliion worth of crops and P190 million worth of infrastructure in the region.

Members of the Nacionalista Party also contributed to the Pangasinan cause. Spokesperson Gilbert Remulla , through his efforts, was able to provide rubber boats, as well as life buoys for rescue operations. Atty. Adel Tamano on the other hand, is preparing medical missions for the flood victims who will need immediate medical aid after rescue and relief operations have been done.

"It is really unfortunate that after Metro Manila, it is now northern Luzon that is taking a beating from another typhoon. We must do all we can to help the people in Pangasinan, Benguet and other provinces that are now bearing the brunt of flooding and landslides. I have mobilized our own disaster response teams to assist those affected by this latest natural disaster," Villar said.

Since September 26, Senator Villar has handed out over a 100,000 in relief goods to the residents who lost their homes and belongings due to the floods brought about by "Ondoy" and "Pepeng." Tulong Villar relief assistance hotline is 0917-4226800.