Rainfall prompts continued assistance from gov't, election bets in areas affected by 'Odette'
MANILA, Philippines — With orange and red rainfall warnings raised in areas still reeling from the destruction of Super Typhoon Odette (international name Rai), relief efforts from government agencies and presidential candidates continued Thursday.
The Philippine Coast Guard District Northeastern Mindanao recently concluded its three-day relief operations in Siargao Island, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao City where it provided assistance to some 2,500 families affected by Odette.
"Our efforts will not end on distributing essential goods. We will continue to serve our kababayans in every way possible for their swift recovery and rehabilitation," CG Captain Dennis Padeagua, PCG District Northeastern Mindanao Commander, said.
During his visit to survivors of Odette in Negros Oriental, President Rodrigo Duterte apologized for the small amount allocated per person but reminded recipients of government relief that the cash aid his office handed out "is intended for the family, especially the children."
"I can’t give money to every single person, the husband, the wife, the children because we don’t have that kind of money. So you should be content with what you will receive. Today, you will receive P5,000," he was quoted as saying in a transcript released by his office on Thursday.
"I know the amount is too small. But the money that will be given to you is for… Your perdition about your damaged houses is a different matter. For instance, in Siargao, everything was destroyed."
Available data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development shows that a total of ?130,147,579.57 worth of assistance was provided to the affected families, including:
- ?99,664,449.37 from the DSWD
- ?30,137,105.20 provided by local government units
- ?1,071,775.00 from non-government organizations
- ?12,500.00 from "other partners"
Duterte jokes about women in Odette's aftermath
Per the latest reports coming from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council on Thursday, the total number of deaths has reached 397 with 1,147 injured and 83 still missing days after the super typhoon subsided.
The NDRRMC added that the number of families affected by the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year has already reached 1,082,910 or 4,235,400 individuals.
Damage to agriculture is pegged at P5, 342,538,557.25 while damage to infrastructure has already reached P16, 715,334,982.11.
Duterte at his visit to Bais City also joked about women once more after he reminded city officials to deploy health teams in evacuation facilities.
"Do you want to see my face? What about my teeth, do you want to see them?" he asked his supporters as he took off his mask. "I don’t have dentures. My teeth have a sharp bite, especially for beautiful women. Where are they? Point them out to me. There are many beautiful women here in Bais. We visited this place before."
Election bets roll out assistance, promises
Presidential aspirant Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the ousted dictator, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte also donated some P2 million in financial assistance and 2,000 sacks of rice to Palawan Gov. Pepito Alvarez for the province's affected residents.
The two also donated 500 sacks of rice to Bayron and another 500 sacks of rice to the association of barangay captains in Palawan.
Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron also received P200,00 in financial aid and 500 sacks of rice while seven Palawan mayors received P100,000 in financial help for their constituents.
In a separate radio interview, Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno said that he would focus on building more disaster-resilient evacuation centers to accommodate displaced individuals in times of calamity if elected president.
Moreno made the statement when asked what he intends to do to mitigate the effects of natural calamities to the country and its people following the devastation brought by Typhoon Odette in many provinces located in the Visayas and Mindanao two weeks ago.
“Typhoons are already part of our lives because of our country's place in the world. Earthquakes will also be a part of our lives because we are there on the Pacific rim of fire. We also have many volcanoes. So, it's good to really have a plan to build buildings that are just there," he told radio station RMN-DXBC Butuan in Filipino.
PAGASA says severe tropical storm Rai entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at around 7 p.m. Tuesday. It was assigned the local name Odette.
Telco giant Globe has completed network service repairs in municipalities of Anda, Dauis, Loon and Panglao in Bohol, San Fernando in Cebu, and Baybay, Albuera in Leyte, and Limasawa in Southern Leyte.
Services in Mindanao's Tagana-an, Surigao del Norte have also been restored as of January 4.
Globe says it has equipped local government units affected by Super Typhoon Odette with an M360 platform, used to send SMS updates to their offices and constituencies. "Palawan, Southern Leyte, and Cebu municipalities Naga, Cordova and the city of Mandaue, were among the first to avail of this free service," the telco says in a release.
Network coverage has been restored in 98% of areas with PLDT and Smart coverage in Bacolod.
The telco group says in a release that network services have been restored in 90% of Visayas cities and municipalities affected by Super Typhoon Odette.
Earlier, PLDT-Smart reported the full restoration of services in Antique, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar.
The Technical Education and Skils Development Authority in the Cordillera is sending 19 trainers to Bohol, one of the provinces that was hit hard by Super Typhoon Odette last December.
The trainers will help in the recovery and rebuilding efforts in the province by giving skills training to Boholanons.
TESDA Cordillera, along with the TESDA in the Ilocos region, will be giving free training, particularly on construction-related courses. The training will help in the rebuilding homes and other structures destroyed by the strongest typhoon that visited the country since Super Typhoon Yolanda.
The trainers are from the Provincial Training Centers of TESDA Kalinga, TESDA Mountain Province, TESDA Abra, TESDA Apayao, and TESDA Ifugao. There are four trainers for Electrical Installation and Maintenance, nine trainers for Carpentry, and six trainers for Masonry. — The STAR/Artemio Dumlao
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and other regional goverment offices in SOCCSKSARGEN has sent relief supplies for typhoon-stricken areas in the Caraga Region.
The supplies were transported in a 24-vehicle convoy that included dump trucks.
The humanitarian mission is a joint initiative of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Regional Task Force on COVID-19.
The convoy on Tuesday follows an initial shipment of relief supplies to the Caraga Region that the DILG regional office initiated.
The provisions — clothings, food rations and hygiene kits — were received by DILG personnel in the Caraga region. — The STAR/John Unson
Total agriculture damage from Typhoon Odette is at P5.79 billion and counting, Agriculture Secretary William Dar says.
More than 70,000 hectares of agricultural land were affected.
Meanwhile, more than 506,000 houses were damaged by the super typhoon and may reach up to 600,000, Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosario says.
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