Krantenartikel 1 2007 (in het Engels)

Dutch youth give donations for Tipolo fire victims

Mandaue City received donations for the victims of fire that hit Tipolo, Mandaue last July 25.
The P25,000 and boxes of used clothes were donated by a group named MY Cebu, composed of Dutch youth, who recently visited Cebu for an educational and cultural exchange program. MYCebu participated in the Pinoy-Dutch Xplore II – a program spearheaded by the Cebu City Government, Meerlanden Youth, and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI).

In the turnover ceremony held last August 3, 2007 at the Mandaue City Hall, MYCebu leader Gijs Bruijnzeels handed over the cash and in-kind donation to Acting City Administrator Briccio Boholst. Also present in the turnover ceremony were Mandaue City First Lady Sarah Cotes, City Councilor Jimmy Lumapas, City Attorney Francisco Amit, RAFI-EADSC Executive Director Evelyn Nacario-Castro and two other members of MYCebu – Stephan Elst and Geertjan Berman.

Bruijnzeels, Elst and Berman, together with 31 other Dutch youth and 4 adult leaders, personally witnessed the Tipolo fire on their way to Lapulapu City. The group then decided to visit Tipolo last July 27. Together with Mandaue City Social Welfare Services head Violeta Cavada, the Dutch group visited the site and talked to some of the affected residents.

Cavada said that the fire was caused by unattended firewood while one of the residents was cooking breakfast. An estimated total of 753 families or 3,182 people were affected.
Marieke Bruijnzeels, one of the MYCebu delegates said, "now everything is gone,” after seeing the effect of the incident. The rest of the group also showed their sympathy and willingness to help.

Mayor Cortes, on the other hand, is glad about the quick and favorable response of the Dutch delegates.

The MYCebu group has also visited and pledged support for other projects and programs in Cebu like Gawad Kalinga in Bogo, Batang Pinangga in Carmen and the Cebu City Medical Center, among others, during their 3-week immersion in Cebu last July 8-29.

Although not part of their original schedule, Gijs Bruijnzeels said that their visit to the Tipolo fire site made a great impact and really touched their hearts. Majority of the delegates are now back in the Netherlands.