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Former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Friday
distributed relief goods to families affected by the Typhoon Frank
in Negros Occidental.
Former Senate President Ernesto
Maceda and Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati, who also donated the rice
and other relief goods, accompanied Estrada.
In a statement, Estrada
reiterated his appeal to the top 100 corporations in the country to
raise funds to help buy construction materials, medicine and food
for those afflicted by the typhoon.
“I am appealing to the
country’s top corporations to act on their corporate social
responsibility and help raise funds to assist victims of Typhoon
Frank,” Estrada said.
Estrada’s spokesperson Margaux
Salcedo said that the former president’s first stop was at the
Cadiz City covered gym where he distributed 1,500 relief bags each
filled with three kilos of rice, noodles, cans of sardines and milk.
Salcedo added that Mayor Salvador
Escalante assisted the group in the distribution of the goods.
“This is only our response to
the mayors who have personally called on me for help. We need to
stop politics for the moment and just focus on helping each other.
So we’re just doing everything we can to help those who were
hardest hit by Typhoon Frank,” said Estrada.
The former president then
proceeded to the M. Escalante Elementary School where almost a
thousand school kits were distributed to students of the said
school.
The next stop was at Sagay City.
At Barangay Vito, where residents of Brgy Molacaboc, reportedly one
of the hardest hit by Typhoon Frank in Negros Occidental, also
gathered, victims received almost a thousand relief bags. At the
same time, students of the Andres Bonifacio Elementary School
received almost 1,000 school kits.
Estrada also stopped at the Old
Sagay Museo Pambata where almost a thousand residents from the
shoreline barangays gathered to receive relief goods as well, with
the assistance of Mayor Freddie Maranon.
Estrada’s last stop was at
Manapla, where the relief goods were distributed with the assistance
of Mayor Manolet Escalante.
This is the fourth city that
Estrada has visited since Typhoon Frank hit the country. He has also
distributed relief goods to Iloilo, Aklan and Romblon.
Asked what his message was to the
government, Estrada replied, “I am not here to propose long-term
or even short-term solutions. That is the government’s job. I am a
private citizen. I am only here to help in any way I can as Citizen
Erap. And I will continue to help the masses who need me as much as
I can in my private capacity.”
--James Konstantin Galvez
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