MANILA -- Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar on Tuesday called for solidarity among Filipinos as families in Visayas and Mindanao recover from the damages of Super Typhoon Odette.
In an interview, he bared that the Northern Mindanao Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC 10) has initiated a donation drive for typhoon victims dubbed as the "Bangon VisMin Typhoon Odette Donation Drive". The said initiative will help send additional relief assistance to the affected families in Regions 7, 10 and Caraga.
“Tulungan po natin ang ating mga kababayang lubos na naapektuhan ng malakas na bagyo sa Visayas at Mindanao. Halos lahat tayo ay nakaranas na kung gaano kahirap kapag nasalanta ng bagyo. kahit papaano, makatulong tayo para maging merry man lang ang Christmas nila. [Let’s help our fellow Filipinos in Visayas and Mindanao. Most of us know how difficult it is to be hit by a strong typhoon. At least we can help in giving them a merry Christmas],” he said on DZMM Teleradyo.
Secretary Andanar is also the designated Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security for Northern Mindanao.
According to the latest report by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 10 (DSWD-10), there are more than 20,000 families affected in Region 10, with at least 4,700 families still in evacuation centers.
DSWD-10 is currently conducting their Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) in order to provide details on services needed to be turned over to affected LGUs, including the provision of family food packs.
According to Secretary Andanar, the PCOO is also responding to affected families in areas in Caraga region, including Surigao City, Siargao Islands, and Dinagat Islands that were not spared from the havoc of Super Typhoon Odette.
He said that electricity and communication remain difficult in the said areas, while logistics for the transport of family food packs and in-kind donations are already making their routes to communities including impassable areas such as Burgos, San Isidro, and Pilar in Siargao. (PCOO)
