PILI, CAMARINES SUR — The International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) has pledged to provide 9,000 new homes to the victims of super typhoon ‘Reming’ in the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur, a Red Cross representative said here Friday.

        Allan Piggs, representative of the IFRC, said in a press conference here that 7,000 housing units in this province and 2,000 housing units in Albay will be provided.

        Without citing figures of the cost of each housing unit, Piggs said that galvanized iron sheets, wood, nails and other construction materials will be delivered to families who lost their home in which they have to build into new homes.

        Piggs said that he was moved by the destruction wrought by ‘Reming’ in Camarines Sur which he said was so extensive in this province, more than the damage he saw in Albay province.

        He said the difference was that Camarines Sur has few deaths compared to Albay where hundreds died and hundreds more are still missing when volcanic debris rumbled down residential areas in several towns.

        Gov. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, who has been coordinating with the Philippine National Red Cross when the super typhoon struck, said that the IFRC’s pledge would cover some 10 percent of the number of families who lost their homes here.

        Villafuerte revealed that ‘Reming’ has totally destroyed more than 77,022 homes all over the province, 55 percent of school buildings estimated at P1.6 billion and several public health clinics.

        The governor said that the provincial government here continuously airs its appeal for help to local and international humanitarian organizations to pitch in for the rehabilitation of the province.

        “Almost a month after the destruction, there is still so much that we need to respond. I am more concerned that people may be dying,” Villafuerte lamented.

        He said that he is very grateful that the IFRC has responded to the call of the provincial government after its representative saw the extent of destruction in this province.

        Piggs also pledged to Camarines Sur the rebuilding of several health clinics destroyed by ‘Reming’.

        On Friday, the PNRC has distributed to 7,500 families relief goods comprising food and sanitary items that would make them survive for two weeks.

        Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the PNRC, said that the relief goods were donated by the Philip Morris Co., United States of America and other donors.

        Gordon rallied the ‘Reming’ victims here to rise up, move forward and rebuild their lives as he shared to them the experience of people in Central Luzon when Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1990.

        With the frequency of calamities hitting the country, the PNRC chairman announced that they are launching massive recruitment of Red Cross volunteers in each barangay.

        He said the PNRC is now encouraging the recruitment of 43 volunteers in each barangay in order that the response to calamities would be faster and efficient.

        Gordon said that with 43 Red Cross volunteers in each barangay there will be no need for the people to come in droves to certain area to get relief assistance.

        He said the 43 Red Cross volunteers will be tasked to immediately feed to their secretariat the situation in the area after calamity strikes and that they will also be tasked to deliver the relief assistance to each affected families.

        Gordon said the new recruited Red Cross volunteers will be trained immediately and provide services during calamities on purely voluntary basis.

        He added that the manpower and resources of the PNRC has been stretched with so many calamities hitting different parts of the country.