THE provincial government of Bataan has supported the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) by relief operations and rehabilitation efforts extended in the disaster torn town of New Bataan in Compostela Valley, PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Gordon said that Gov. Enrique Garcia Jr. of Bataan donated P2,500,000 to the Red Cross to support the ongoing humanitarian activities in New Bataan.

“The devastation wrought by typhoon Pablo [international code-name: Bopha] is so enormous that we are compelled to commiserate with our brothers in New Bataan and help them make a fresh start especially this New Year,” Garcia said.

“After the initial relief phase of the operations in New Bataan, we want to help make sure that people’s lives are brought back to normal or even better than before so that they can once again be productive members of the community,” he added.

According to Gordon, the Red Cross has implemented a six-month relief operation in New Bataan, which includes food items, sleeping kits and water distribution.

“Besides relief operations, we are also setting up health and medical stations to address the basic medical needs of the people as well as implementing a shelter and housing program so that those who have lost their homes can move into new ones and rebuild their lives with dignity,” Gordon said.

“We are grateful for the support of the people of Bataan, who have been invaluable partners of the PRC over the last few years in many of our disaster efforts, such as during typhoons Ondoy [Ketsana] and Sendong [Washi],” he added.