are present to ensure that their psycho-social needs are met. Day care service is also provided for the children. Meanwhile, at the neighboring evacuation center at the Immaculate Concepcion Archdiocesan School, 1,298 persons are accommodated. Here, members of the Knights of Columbus Centennial Council are assigned in different committees to see to it that the evacuees are safe and their needs addressed. In addition to the KoC, members of the local Youth for Christ and the Tetuan Parish Youth Ministry help in preparing seventy kilos of rice for every meal as well as the viands, and distributing this large number of food to the evacuees. Their kitchen is located at the nearby St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, where one stained glass window was hit by a stray bullet. Like in the ZCHS center, the volunteers here work round-theclock. Sister Marian of the Biblical Apostolate says that other Tetuan
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
residents help them prepare the food, among others, and that most do not go home for the sake of their displaced brothers and sisters in need. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reports that as of this time, there are 56 evacuation centers scattered all over the city with over a hundred thousand registered evacuees. The number continuous to increase as each day passes. The tremendous task of feeding and caring for these people remains and is increasing. Councilor Myra Paz Abubakar had earlier expressed concern over the supplies and resources from the donors. “It is a reality that resources are depleting,� she said. But one good thing about Zamboanga in the midst of this crisis is that the city will never run out of good, caring and noble hearts who risk their lives to help those who are victims of the tragedy.
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