In photo: House Floor Leader Edwin Propst, Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Clement Bermudes, Acting DFEMS Commissioner Juan Pua and Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres.
THE Department of Corrections, in collaboration with the Offices of the Governor and Lt. Governor, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Fire & Emergency Medical Services, the CNMI Legislature and the Saipan Mayor’s Office, will hold a relief drive from Friday, June 2, to Wednesday, June 7, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the multi-purpose center parking lot in Susupe. Their goal is to provide assistance support to Typhoon Mawar’s victims in Guam.
“We have secured a 40-foot container which we will fill with water, non-perishable food items, specifically canned foods, rice, baby formula, dry noodles, baby food, bottled water, hygiene supplies, over-the-counter medication, non-perishable pet food items, linens, blankets, sleeping cots, mosquito repellents, butane cans, and first-aid kits,” said Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres on Thursday.
With Torres were acting DFEMS Commissioner Juan Pua, DPS Commissioner Clement Bermudes, Saipan Mayor Ramon B. Camacho, and House Floor Leader Edwin Propst.
“We’re here to work together with the other government agencies and the community to help provide disaster relief for Guam,” Pua said.
“Stop by and drop any food items, hygiene products for the people of Guam,” he added.
Pua said his department will also hold a separate relief drive for Rota DFEMS and the Guam Fire Department. “Once we get all our items together, we will ship them to Rota and Guam,” he added.
Bermudes said “this is really an extension of our good neighbor program…. I have spoken to Guam’s police department chief…and [I was told that] any help would do. Their people are still recovering from a disaster, so some homes have been damaged, and a lot of vegetation needed clearing. Please. I know we are trying to stretch our wallet, but give whatever you can for our brothers and sisters in Guam. Guam did similar things for us post-Typhoon Soudelor, Mangkhut, and Yutu. It’s truly the Marianas heartbeat, and we all beat as one.”
Saipan Mayor Camacho said “we need to help each other, and…I am humbly asking the business community and the non-profit groups to come forward and let’s join hands and rescue our brothers and sisters in Guam.”
For his part, House Floor Leader Propst said, “It starts with an idea, and it comes from the heart. I thank Commissioner Torres for thinking of the Legislature and for giving us a call. On behalf of Speaker Edmund Villagomez, Vice Speaker Joel Camacho, and my dear colleagues in the House, we are fully committed to assisting the good people of Guam. We are one Marianas. We are always looking out for each other, just as Guam has done for us numerous times after a disaster. We are there for our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Guam. This is non-partisan, this goes beyond government lines.”
