MANILA, Dec. 11, 2014 — The Knights of Columbus (K of C) in the Philippines, the largest Catholic fraternal service organization in the country is calling on its members and other lay organizations to actively live out their charity by donating for typhoon Ruby victims’ relief packs, rehabilitation and livelihood.
K of C Philippines also helped provide boats to fishermen in the Visayas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda. (Photo: CBCP News)
“Let us exercise our virtue of charity. Let us help our fellow Filipinos in Borongan,” said KC Luzon Deputy Arsenio Isidro G. Yap.
The head of the Luzon knights appealed to 260 KC districts and more than 1,200 K of C councils in Luzon to send their donations “of at least Php 500.00” to help the victims of typhoon Ruby in the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar.
Livelihood, rehabilitation
He said K of C Philippines immediately dispatched 300 sacks of rice to the victims of typhoon Ruby in Borongan through its KC Philippines Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI). Yap, who is also the president of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc (KCFAPI), the insurance arm of the K of C Philippines, added that the province of Borongan is also the beneficiary of KC Luzon jurisdiction’s post-super typhoon Yolanda rehabilitation efforts.
“Our concerns are not only on distribution of relief goods but of livelihood and rehabilitation of damage houses and churches,” Yap cited.
The Knights of Columbus in the Philippines, which was established by Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ, actively supported the survivors of typhoon Yolanda by donating cash; relief goods; power chainsaws to convert fallen coco lumber into usable coco lumber; motorized bancas; and has pledged to give both powered and manually operated hollow-block making machines.
‘Bahaynihan’
Meanwhile, K of C Philippines has recently launched its housing project dubbed “K of C Bahaynihan (A Fr. Willmann Housing Project)”.
It aims to provide assistance to selected Yolanda victims residing in heavily-devastated barangays in Palo and Tacloban, Leyte by contributing funds to share in the costs of rebuilding the beneficiaries’ permanent houses on their personally-owned residential lands.
Donations can be sent through the following bank accounts: BDO Salas Roxas Blvd. Branch, Account Name: Knights of Columbus Luzon Jurisdiction, Current Acct. # 005128004143 OR Land Bank Aduana Branch, Current Acct. # 0012107188, Account Name: Knights of Columbus Luzon Jurisdiction. (Yen Ocampo/CBCPNews)
