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SEAG champion Mary Joy Tabal gives out packed meals in Odette-hit neighborhood

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA, Philippines -- Mary Joy Tabal, a Rio Olympian and Southeast Asian Games champion, extended a helping hand to her neighbors in Cebu City, after they were hit by typhoon Odette.</p><p>Tabal shared on Facebook that she gave away packed meals &quot;for everybody&quot; in need last Friday.</p><p>&quot;Openly gave it to those who will knock on our door, to some who were not able to cook (because) electricity (is) shut down,&quot; said Tabal, who represented the Philippines in the 2016 Rio Olympics. &quot;(We) also gave it to people who helped clean the road.&quot;</p><p>Tabal explained that she opted to cook the meat in their refrigerator rather than let it go to waste amid the power outage.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/100000031678313/posts/5092920614052277/?d=n" data-width="auto"> </div><p>A native of Cebu City, the 32-year-old Tabal won marathon gold in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before coming in second to fellow Filipina Christine Hallasgo in the 2019 edition of the event.</p><p>Four people have been confirmed dead after being hit by fallen trees and another 27 people were feared to have died as a result of Odette (international name: Rai), officials said on Saturday.</p><p>Odette is the 15th and among the deadliest of the tropical storms to strike the Philippine archipelago this year, displacing nearly 500,000 people. Many areas were still without power on Saturday.</p><p>The hard-hit central provinces of Cebu and Bohol declared a state of calamity to access disaster funds and imposed a price freeze on basic goods.</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">FULL STORY: Odette death toll passes 30, amid reports of ‘alarming’ destruction</a></li></ul>

Rio Olympian Mary Joy Tabal extended a helping hand to her neighbors in Cebu City, after they were hit by typhoon Odette.