JORDAN, Guimaras – A total of 463 crew and manifesto in-charge personnel of the phased out wooden hulled motorboats received assistance from the provincial government of Guimaras.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) distributed the second batch of relief packs to 248 crews of Jordan Motorbanca Cooperative (JMBC) at the JMBC Office in Rizal, Jordan, Guimaras on February 8, 2021.
Meanwhile, 215 displaced crew and manifesto in-charge personnel of the Buenavista Motorbanca Owners and Sailors Association (BAMOSA) received relief packs at the BAMOSA Office in Sto. Rosario, Buenavista on Feb. 5.
Each relief pack consisted of 35 kilos of rice and canned goods.
The initiative aimed to help the displaced crew and personnel of the wooden-hulled boats plying the Guimaras-Iloilo route vice versa which were phased out due to the modernization program implemented by the Department of Transportation.
The first batch of distribution was held on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7 where recipients received 10 kilos of rice and canned goods.
The activity was conducted in compliance with the necessary health and safety protocols to avoid the further spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
Moreover, the Philippine Coast Guard headed by Gov. Samuel Gumarin, also turned over P6 million to the motorboat associations on Jan. 13, 2021.
Captain Neri Tejing, president of BAMOSA, received a check worth P3 million in behalf of their organization while Fernando Enalpe, chairman of the Board of JMBC, received the same amount.
The financial assistance given to the motorboat associations is a counterpart of the coastguard for the procurement of additional units of fiberglass vessels to ply the Guimaras-Iloilo route vice versa./PN
