1,010 families benefit from PRO-6 Bayanihan effort

By Jennifer P. Rendon 

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6)’s initiative to provide basic goods to communities affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has benefited 1,010 families.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Gilbert Gorero, chief of the Regional Plans Division and concurrent officer-in-charge of the PRO-6 Public Information Office (PIO), said the families availed of food items during the “PRO6 Bayanihan sa Campo Delgado kada Sabado,” which was done in the last four Saturdays.

The Bayanihan activity is the special program of Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief, on top of the “Sagot ko, Kapwa Ko” projects.

The two initiatives are PRO-6’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The beneficiaries are poor families residing in barangays around the PRO-6 headquarters in Camp Delgado, Iloilo City.

The beneficiaries were identified by the Regional Community Affairs Division personnel, in coordination with barangay officials.

Baskets of relief packs of groceries, farm products, fruits, pork, live chicken, egg and molo balls were distributed.

Aside from helping poor families, “the Bayanihan project also aimed to help small farmers and livestock raisers, wherein vegetables, chicken and eggs were directly purchased from them,” Gorero said.

He also assured that all health and safety protocols under the new normal such as social distancing, wearing of facemask, washing of hands and decontamination were observed during the distribution.

Meanwhile, Pamuspusan said that the Bayanihan program was a success, given that Western Visayas had been downgraded to General Community Quarantine (GCQ) status.

“I am thanking PRO-6 personnel of their contribution and commitment in helping our countrymen beyond our mandated task,” he said.

Pamuspusan said that all the efforts of stakeholders have helped the community not only to “Heal as One” but to come out stronger and “survive as one.”