Senator and vice-presidential aspirant Francis Pangilinan called on the public on Sunday to continue helping victims of Typhoon Odette, they continue to suffer from a lack of goods, water, and electricity.
Pangilinan, who paid a visit to the typhoon-stricken provinces, told DZRH that the problems there remain intense, particularly on the transport of goods.
"Naroon ako sa Cebu, dumalaw ako sa Surigao, Leyte, talagang napakatindi ng problema. Halimbawa sa Cebu, 'yung 25,000 na mga bahay completely destroyed diyan sa Lapu-Lapu City," he said.
(I was in Cebu, I also visited Surigao, Leyte, and the problem is really huge. For example in Cebu, 25,000 houses are completely destroyed in Lapu-Lapu City.)
"Walang bubong, wasak ang mga bahay. Kaya napakaraming pamilya ang kinakailangan ng tulong," he continued.
(There are no more roofs, houses are destroyed, and many families need help.)
According to Pangilinan, over 5,000 homes were destroyed in Manadue; while in Surigao, 10,000 houses were completely destroyed and 70% of their infrastructure has been damaged.
"So walang kuryente, walang signal. Hindi mailabas ang communication nung nandun tayo," he said.
(There is no electricity, no signal. Communication cannot get out when we were there.)
"So very, very important na magtulungan ang private sector, ang gobyerno, para mabigyan ng suporta," he added.
(So it’s very important that we coordinate with the private sector, the government, to provide support.)
The senator urged Filipinos to continue helping those who have been affected by the typhoon in order to recover together from the disaster.
"We will all do our share, so please, let us continue to help. Marami sa ating mga kababayan, wala pa ring tubig, wala nang bahay, pero malalagpasan natin ito basta tulong-tulong lang tayo," he said.
(We will all do our share, so please, let us continue to help. A lot of our countrymen have no water, no homes, but we will get through this if we help each other.)
The death toll from Typhoon Odette climbed to 367, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Saturday.
