Quality Care Group of Companies co-founder Kris Salumbides and his family have set up a team of volunteers and donors for affected Kababayans in Batangas after the Taal Volcano erupted January 12 in the Philippines.
Salumbides and his family are in the Philippines for a vacation and after the eruption, they decided to reach out to his friends and family on FB to help.
“We would like to see the actual situation in the area and provide them basic necessities,” said Salumbides, who arrived in Canada as an OFW and is now running the Quality Care Group of Companies that manages Medicus Family Health Clinic and Pharmacy in Edmonton as well as a medical supplies company and a sleep clinic.
He has made coordination efforts with the Philippine Red Cross and the local government unit so that relief goods will be distributed smoothly.
Beng Agasino, a native of Batangas, lauded Salumbides’ initiative to lead the fund-raising event and said said the Jesus Is Lord (JIL) church, where she is a member, has also started raising funds to augment support.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology posted on its website that “heavy ashfall from the ongoing eruptions of Taal has reportedly fallen southwest of the volcano island in Cuenca, Lemery and Taal”.
“Fine ashfall can cause irritation and breathing problems especially among the elderly and children,” Phivolcs said. Use of N95-grade facemasks or wet cloth are advised by Phivolcs when going outside.
As of this writing, Phivolcs has recorded 144 volcanic earthquakes in the Taal region since the eruption on January 12.