The Official Newsletter of the Archdiocese of Cebu, Philippines

UPDATE: THE CHURCH’S COLLABORATIVE RESPONSE TO COVID19

Source: Rev. Fr. Alex Cola Jr., Director of Cebu Caritas Inc.

The Archdiocese of Cebu through Caritas Cebu Inc., Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (RRU), Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) Commission, Commission on Social Action, Cebu Archdiocese Commission on Ecological Concerns, or collectively known as the SACRED FORCES, along with some priests and doctors came up with a 3-fold plan in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

First, the information drive on COVID19 and its mitigation by means of posting in all parishes of the Archdiocese of the so-called IEC (information, education, communication) materials.

Second, the creation of the Teofilo Camomot Buhat sa Kaluoy Program (Teofilo Camomot Works of Mercy Program) with the goal of providing emergency food packs to some identified PUIs and PUMs in the parishes and provide the same aid to those in need the most (especially the poor) using the BEC cluster network of the Archdiocese. In addition, the team is also working with the Department of Agriculture to facilitate urban gardening program aiming to plant fast-growing leafy vegetables in households in order to address possible food shortage should the COVID19 situation worsen.

Third, the team is also closely coordinating with DOH-7 and LGUs, and some generous individuals in creating quarantine facilities for PUIs and PUMs so as to decongest the hospitals and allow them to focus on critical COVID19 patients. This has been promptly called the ‘Bayanihan Program.’

As of April 13, there have been 154 parishes which received relief goods (rice, canned goods, and other commodities), and 14 more parishes are yet to receive the food aid. The relief goods were delivered to the different parishes within the Archdiocese (except Metro Cebu) through its Relief and Rehabilitation Unit; and the parishes in turn took charge of distributing the goods to the designated recipients, mostly the poor.

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