Flags in Albay at half-mast for Visayas typhoon victims

LEGAZPI CITY , Philippines   â€“ Albay Gov. Joey Salceda ordered flags in the province flown at half-mast starting yesterday until the end of the month in sympathy with the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas.

“All flags at government offices, schools at all levels whether public or private will be flown at half-mast from Nov. 11 to Nov. 30 in sympathy with the relatives of those who perished in the cala-mity,” said Salceda.

He said Yolanda reminded them of the trauma they suffered when Typhoon Reming struck Albay in 2010.

Salceda has coordinated with Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Dinky Soliman to launch the “Tarabangan Albay para sa Samar and Leyte.”

Volunteers from Bicol University, private individuals, and personnel from the provincial government as well as the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces trooped to the Albay Astrodome to help repack relief goods.

Salceda thanked Soliman for trusting him and the DSWD for giving Albay folk a chance to repay their “debt” to the nation.

Albay was designated by the DSWD as one of the repacking centers of relief assistance for Region 8. Tacloban City is the regional center.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras on Sunday said  Tacloban City was again accessible from the north through the San Juanico Bridge.

Meanwhile, the Muslim and Christian communities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are mourning the loss of lives.

“We should not to lose hope. Lets us unite and help each other rise from the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda,” ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman  told The STAR yesterday.

He said it is not proper for them to go ahead with the “Pakaradjan sa ARMM” festivity, which started on Nov. 6 and was supposed to end on Dec. 19.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said he was planning to make the celebration of the province’s 40th founding anniversary simple in solidarity with the residents of Tacloban City and other areas affected by Yolanda.

“While we can’t totally depart from the strong Moro tradition of commemorating historic events, we can do away with lavish merry-making to show our sympathy with the typhoon victims,” he said.

Hataman and Mangudadatu urged Muslims in the ARMM and in Maguindanao to offer special prayers for the recovery of the typhoon-affected communities during their Friday obligatory congregational prayer rites at the mosques.    – With John Unson