Food supplies finally arrive in Batanes

BASCO, Batanes , Philippines – The airlift of food supplies to this far-flung province of 13,000 residents started yesterday, with the arrival of 10,000 kilos of relief goods from Manila.

Residents have been without basic commodities for more than a month, as the province has run out of commercial rice, sugar, bakery products and other food supplies.

Inclement weather brought about by the series of typhoons, east monsoon and west monsoon, prevented cargo ships to regularly transport valuable cargoes from Manila and other parts of Luzon.

M/V Transcend, loaded with 700 bags of commercial rice, arrived yesterday after a month-long voyage from Sual, Pangasinan.

A week ago, another cargo ship, the M/V Saver 3, arrived with another 200 bags of commercial rice.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, upon hearing about the food shortage from Joel Mendoza, president of the Batanes Cultural and Travel Agency, gave 1,000 sacks of relief goods.

The relief goods, Mendoza said, are in packs ready for distribution. Each pack contains five kilos of rice, noodles, sugar, and canned goods.

Caritas Manila, the relief arm of the Catholic Church, donated the same volume of relief goods, through the representation of Batanes prelate Bishop Camilo Gregorio.