“Bumagsak po iyong bahay namin. Buti nalang wala pong tao doon noong lumindol,” (Our house was destroyed. Fortunately, nobody was in there when the earthquake struck).
Caren Joy looking at their dilapidated house.
With tears in her eyes, Caren Joy Casupanan narrated their experience when the 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Luzon last April 2019. The Aeta community in Floridablanca, Pampanga was greatly affected by the quake.
Sagip Kapamilya, the emergency humanitarian assistance program of ABS-CBN Foundation, conducted its first leg of Disaster Risk and Reduction Training in Nabuclod, Floridablanca, Pampanga. In partnership with CDO Odyssey Foundation, over 250 residents were taught about emergency management. Residents also received boxes of first aid kits and farming equipment.
Through the Risk Reduction and Management Campaign, the program aims to educate every Filipino to be prepared for any disasters.
“Plano po natin sa Sagip Kapamiya na hindi lang puro Relief Operations at Rehabilitation iyong titingnan natin, gusto natin na maging pro-active ang ating mga mamamayan,”(Sagip Kapamilya is not just into relief operations and rehabilitation, we also want our community to be proactive.) said Erleo Bacabac, Operations Manager of Sagip Kapamilya.
“We are training the grass roots people on how to reduce casualties during disasters. Napili namin ng ABS-CBN itong Floridablanca kasi napakalaki po ang naging pinsala dito ng lindol. Gusto naming turuan ang mga katutubo na ating mga kababayan dito para malaman nila ang importansya ng disaster management,” (We chose Floridablanca because it was greatly affected by the earthquake. We wanted to teach the community about the importance of disaster management), shared Dindo Danao, Executive Director of CDO Odyssey Foundation.
With farming as the primary livelihood of the Ayta community, Sagip Kapamilya also distributed seeds and farming equipment to assist the community.