Guam rallies to support CNMI women, children

From left, Peter Aguon, general manager of Asia Pacific Wholesalers; Frank Atalig, SVP/CFO of Bank of Guam; Guam lieutenant governor-elect Joshua Tenorio; Guam governor-elect Lou Leon Guerrero; Kathy Palacios of the Lady Diann Torres Foundation; and Deepak Dewan, president and owner of Asia Pacific Wholesalers. (Contributed Photo)

HAGATNA, Guam—Deepak Dewan, president of Asia Pacific Wholesalers, former senator Carlotta Leon Guerrero, president of the Ayuda Foundation, and governor-elect Lou Leon Guerrero, who is a founding member of the Ayuda Foundation, are working together to ship 18 pallets of disposable diapers, baby wipes, and women’s sanitary pads to the CNMI as Guam continues to answer the call for help after NMI suffered devastating losses in the wake of Super Typhoon Yutu. The total value of the donation is estimated to be $50,000.

Asia Pacific Wholesalers was supposed to load the container of relief supplies yesterday, Veterans Day, and American President Lines will ship it on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.

The Ayuda Foundation has been working tirelessly with local businesses and residents of Guam in providing help to its neighbors to the north who are facing an uncertain future in post-typhoon recovery.

The donations will be made to the Lady Diann Torres Foundation, a CNMI non-profit organization founded by CNMI first lady Diann Torres to assist and empower women and CNMI families through cultural empowerment, education, and preservation.

“Post-recovery relief is a heavy burden for any community and rarely focuses on the needs of women and children, these diapers, baby wipes, and sanitary napkins will provide much-needed relief to families,” said Lou Leon Guerrero.

“Our company stands ready to continue to assist in bringing much-needed support to our brothers and sisters in the NMI who are suffering. We’ve been through times like this before, and we’ve always come together as one to help one another. This time is no different. This is one archipelago, one Marianas,” said Dewan.

“We are very thankful to Dewan and Asia Pacific Wholesalers, [former] senator Leon Guerrero and the Ayuda Foundation, and governor-elect Leon Guerrero for their compassion and commitment to assisting our families here in the Northern Mariana Islands. We look forward to working closely as we move forward in our recovery efforts to bring the Marianas closer together,” said CNMI Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.

“Thank you and si yu’us ma’ase to our brothers and sisters in Guam for being with us during our time of need. Many families here need our help, and women and children in particular need all the support we can provide for them. This relief will go a long way for them as we recover and rebuild a stronger Marianas,” said Diann Torres. (PR)