‘Remember Yolanda’s uncounted dead’

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos vowed not to forget the fatalities, especially the “uncounted dead,” from Super Typhoon Yolanda as the country commemorated the anniversary of the powerful cyclone that devastated the Visayas in 2013.

Marcos said the number of people who died during the onslaught of Yolanda remains uncertain, so commemorations are held to remember those who remain unaccounted for nine years after the tragedy.

“I come here because I must commemorate those uncounted dead that up to now we do not know how many that number is. We must come to these commemorations so that we will remember those who we were told not to remember,” Marcos said during the ninth year commemoration of Yolanda yesterday at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden in Tacloban.

“If you remember during the count of the casualties, the count was stopped. And we knew that there were still thousands out there. And for those thousands, those countless thousands, we come here, we commemorate, because if we no longer commemorate, their memory dies. And it is only up to us to keep that memory alive,” he added.

Based on official figures, more than 6,000 people died when Yolanda ravaged the Philippines.

Marcos said he has questioned the statistics from day one.

“They said it’s 6,000 plus. It’s not 6,000 plus,” he said.

Asked what should be done to determine the number of casualties, Marcos admitted that it is too late to do so.

Days after Yolanda struck the country, then Eastern Visayas regional police director Elmer Soria said the typhoon could have left 10,000 people dead in Leyte alone.

Former president Benigno Simeon Aquino III had also claimed in a CNN interview that the 10,000 death toll estimate was too high.

“That is why we continue to commemorate Yolanda and we continue to grieve our dead. Because we not only grieve the dead that are here, but we also grieve for those who we do not even know how many they are, who they are and where they are. And for that, the tragedy of Yolanda continues,” he said.

Marcos said the commemoration is also a demonstration and manifestation of the strength and the courage of Filipinos.

“To remind ourselves that Filipinos are brave, that Filipinos are kind and that Filipinos will conquer all, especially if it is for their community, for their families and for the land that they love,” Marcos said.

He said Tacloban, one of the areas worst hit by the cyclone, has “built back better” and now serves as a source of hope.

“And it is a wondrous sight to see. And it always gives us hope that even if there are tragedies and disasters in other places, we know the Filipino spirit will never be quelled.

The Filipino spirit will always burn bright and bring back normal life to their communities. That is what we commemorate,” the President said.

Marcos thanked those who participated in the rescue efforts and in the rebuilding and rehabilitation of typhoon-hit areas.

He ended his speech by offering a moment of silence to those who lost their lives during the typhoon.

Aid distribution

After the commemoration, Marcos proceeded to Palo, Leyte to lead the distribution of assistance to various sectors. He said the government would continue to give aid to improve the lives of people as the country exits from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The government is here to help and we won’t stop until we see that you can already manage on your own. Our priority is to improve the economy and we will achieve that gradually,” he said.

Marcos admitted that it might take some time before the adjustments intended to spur economic growth are felt.

Distributed in Palo were financial aid to recipients of the agriculture department’s rice farmer financial assistance program, beneficiaries of the social welfare department’s assistance to individuals in crisis situation program and the labor department’s emergency employment program.

A unit of disinfection truck, an ambulance and laptops were also given to the local government and different agencies.