Less than a third of the province’s 11 towns and 315 barangays have provided financial aid to local chapter of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) so far this year despite the crucial role in plays in delivering humanitarian services to the people.

While the provincial government of Catanduanes has so far remitted P225,000 of the P280,000 it allocated as aid to the Red Cross in 2019, only two of the 11 towns, or just 18 percent, have done so.

According to the report rendered by outdoing chapter treasurer Dir. Hermin Zafe, only Baras and Bato have come up with the P30,000 aid it allocated under its 2019 budget.

Bagamanoc, which provided P15,000 in 2018, has yet to deliver the same level of assistance while Caramoran has failed to assist the Red Cross for two years straight now.

The other towns, which gave P30,000 in aid each in 2018 and have yet to release their aid this year, are Gigmoto, Pandan, Panganiban, San Andres and San Miguel. Viga, which allocated P40,000 last year, and Virac, which provided P50,000, have yet to release the assistance.

At the barangay level, only 92 of the 315 barangays have released their P2,000 aid to the Red Cross, broken down as follows: Bagamanoc , 4 barangays out of 18; Baras, 9 of 29; Bato, 6 of 27; Caramoran, 10 of 27; Gigmoto, zero of 9; Pandan, 20 of 26; Panganiban 7 of 23; San Andres, 21 of 38; San Miguel, none of 24; Viga, none of 31; and, Virac, 15 of 63.

The humanitarian organization, which is an auxiliary of the national government, relies on the donations of the public as well as government agencies in raising funds for its annual operations.

This is achieved through volunteer recruitment, with 4,057 members so far in 2019, capability enhancement trainings, fund generation activities like fun runs, membership campaign, and annual raffle.

For 2019, the PRC Catanduanes chapter has targeted the collection of P7,600,358,  with the chapter garnering only P4,840,332 so far or 64% of the target.

In his report during the 29th Chapter Biennial Assembly at the Victor Hall of the Virac Town Center, Board Chairman Gabriel Tejerero outlines the chapter’s accomplishments for 2018-2019 as far as its services are concerned.

In Safety Service, it produced nearly 2,000 graduates of various trainings, as follows:  Standard First Aid and Basic Life Support – CPR with AED for Professional Rescuer, 385 graduates; Emergency First Aid training, 1,248; Occupational First Aid training, 188; Ambulance Operation training, 88; Basic Water Safety and Rescue training, 18; Surface Water Search and Rescue training, 9; and, Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue training, 10.

Its staff and volunteers headed by chapter administrator Reymund Reginaldo also served 1,058 persons in First Aid stations it set up along with one in a mobile First Aid station.

This 2019, its Emergency Response Unit (ERU) has catered to 456 patients in the 11 municipalities: Virac, 337; San Andres, 37; Bato, 33; San Miguel, 20; Caramoran, 8; Pandan, 7; Viga, 5; Panganiban, 4; Baras, 2; Gigmoto, 2; and, Bagamanoc, 1.

It also performed 106 patients conductions, 295 trauma and 94 medical cases, bringing its 2019 total to 465.

The chapter’s Blood Service collected 1,008 blood units from January to October this year, eclipsing the 950 in 2018. This has benefited a total of 701 patients from all over the island: Bagamanoc, 20; Baras, 40, Bato, 63; Caramoran, 63; Gigmoto, 15; Pandan, 43; Panganiban, 19; San Andres, 102; San Miguel, 35; Viga, 29; Virac, 272.

During the recent water crisis in the capital town, the Health Service’s water and sanitation teams produced 3,019,000 liters of potable water, with 2,763,000 liters distributed to people in 17 barangays. It likewise conducted a clean-up drive in Codon, San Andres last Aug. 11.

In Disaster Management Service, its search and rescue team led in the recovery of drowning victims in Mamangal and Dugui San Vicente and in Viga where two young siblings drowned off a beach.

Meanwhile, the PRC Catanduanes Chapter is currently implementing a forecast-based financing project with technical support from the German Red Cross and Finnish Red Cross.

The project involved the activation of early response action based on accurate forecasts and agreed Early Action Protocols (EAPs).

In Catanduanes the possible beneficiaries are abaca farmers and the agreed EAP is the pre-harvesting of abaca plants before the impact of a typhoon.

Based on forecast information on a strong typhoon to hit Catanduanes, a simulation activity involved the pre-harvesting of abaca by farmers in the beneficiary barangays of Tobrehon, San Miguel and Villa Aurora, Viga.