Push Admin

Gov’t to raise initial P2 billion for Odette-hit areas: Duterte

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The aftermath of Typhoon Odette in Silago, Southern Leyte on December 18, 2021 after the typhoon wreaked havoc in parts of the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Alfie Cruz Almine" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/12/19/20211218-odette-aftermath-southern-leyte-ho-2.jpg"/><figcaption>The aftermath of Typhoon Odette in Silago, Southern Leyte on December 18, 2021 after the typhoon wreaked havoc in parts of the Philippines. Photo courtesy of Alfie Cruz Almine</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA (UPDATE) - The national government will raise an initial amount of P2 billion to help areas hit by Typhoon Odette (International name: Rai), President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday as he admitted that expenses to address the COVID-19 pandemic this year have depleted the state’s coffers.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/16/21/typhoon-odette-makes-landfall-over-siargao">Typhoon Odette makes landfall over Siargao</a></li></ul><p>“Ang amo plano ani, kuhaon namo sa mga opisina, ginagmay lang. Maluoy ang Ginoo, I might more or less, tan-aw nako naa ko’y ma-raise nga immediate P2 billion,” Duterte said in Maasin City, Leyte where he presided over a situation briefing on the effects of Odette in the province. A video of the meeting was streamed online on Sunday.</p><p>(Our plan is to source the fund from different offices in small amounts. With God’s mercy, I might more or less, in my view, immediately raise P2 billion).</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/18/21/presidential-candidates-tumulong-sa-odette-victims">Pagkakaisa panawagan ng presidential candidates para sa Odette victims</a></li></ul><p>“Among tan-won ugma og madali ba namo. Pero mao na’y aking ikasaad ninyo. Bilyon hinuon pud, pero it’s not enough actually. Sa devastation, sa usa ka lugar lang na. Og imo gyung tabangan tanan and you make reparations for the damage, medyo kuwang na. But with that amount, bahin-bahinon ninyo,” he added.</p><p>(We’ll see tomorrow if we can release that immediately. But that is what I am promising you. It’s in billions, but it’s not enough actually. During devastations, that might only be enough for one place. If you really want to help all affected areas and you make reparations for the damage, that might not be enough. But you can all share that amount.)</p><p>According to Duterte, the government’s funds have been used up because of expenses to combat the pandemic.</p><p>Duterte on Saturday also visited Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte and the Dinagat Islands, which were severely damaged by the typhoon after it made landfalls there.</p><p>&quot;Ang first gyud nga buhaton (the first thing to do), whatever the calamity, the situation, the first thing that you should do is to try to return to normalcy immediately,&quot; he said at the meeting with local officials.</p><p>He assigned Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista as crisis manager in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands, according to a Palace statement.</p><p>Duterte directed Bautista as well as National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Ricardo Jalad to facilitate the delivery of aid in the areas and ensure that there is stable food supply and water, according to Malacañang.</p><p>He also ordered both officials to deliver tents and tarpaulins to affected areas within 24 hours and implement food-for-work and cash-for-work programs for typhoon victims.</p><p>The BRP Ang Pangulo will be sent to the Dinagat Islands and Siargao to act as a &quot;floating hospital&quot; while personnel from the military and Department of Health will be deployed to augment health personnel in the affected areas, the Palace statement said.</p><p>In a radio interview on Sunday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Duterte also ordered the Department of Information and Communications Technology to bring &quot;emergency communication lines&quot; to Siargao, Dinagat Islands and Surigao City.</p><p>The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development was also tasked to assess what housing assistance can be offered to typhoon victims, Nograles said.</p><p>&quot;Nakiramay mi diri sa inyo, sa pagkahitabo. Guol pud mi. Sakit gyud kay Bisaya gud, labi na ko, taga-ngari ko. Diri ko natawo,&quot; Duterte said, even as he joked advising her mother for them to leave his birth place of Maasin for their safety from storms.</p><p>(We sympathize with you here after what happened. We are saddened. And it is painful because we are fellow Bisaya, and more so for me who was born here.)</p><p>He sought to uplift the spirit of the people by saying that &quot;Leyte is a very progressive place&quot; and &quot;would rise beyond expectations&quot;.</p><p>&quot;You just have to contend with your climate here,&quot; Duterte said.</p><p>The President said that with a new budget for the coming year about to be passed, the government &quot;might be able to really set aside a good portion for the repair of the damage.&quot;</p><p>Presidential aspirant Leody de Guzman called on Duterte to &quot;swiftly act&quot; on measures that would give aid to areas ravaged by the typhoon.</p><p>These include price controls and ensuring that foreign aid immediately reach the victims.</p><p>De Guzman, in a statement, also suggested that the state&#x27;s financial institutions should make zero-interest loans accessible.</p><p>&quot;Kailangan na din natin ng mga mapagpasyang hakbang para harapin ang krisis sa klima. Kabilang dito ang daglian at makabuluhang pagtalikod sa madumi at mapanirang enerhiya at teknolohiya at pagbubuo ng sustenable at makakalikasang ekonomiya,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We need decisive measures to address the climate crisis. These include swift and meaningful rejection of dirty and destructive energy and technology, and establishment of sustainable and pro-environment economy.)</p><p>Odette, the country’s strongest storm this year, swept parts of Mindanao, the Visayas region, and Palawan, including the Kalayaan Islands, from Thursday until Saturday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/19/21/signal-no-2-up-in-kalayaan-islands">Signal No. 2 up in Kalayaan Islands as Odette moves away from PH</a></li></ul><p>More than 700,000 people were affected, of whom nearly 500,000 were displaced, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.</p><p>Initial tally showed that more than 3,700 houses were either partially or totally destroyed, and dozens have reportedly died.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/18/21/odette-deaths-grow-amid-reports-of-alarming-destruction">Odette death toll passes 30, amid reports of ‘alarming’ destruction</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/19/21/dinagat-islands-leveled-to-the-ground-by-odette-pio">Official says Dinagat Islands &#x27;leveled to the ground&#x27; by Typhoon Odette, seeks help</a></li></ul><div> </div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1866945" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div style="text-align:center"><em>COURTESY OF RTVM/PTV</em></div>

President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday the government will initially raise P2 billion to help areas hit by Typhoon Odette.