Pangan: An unforgettable year-ender
By Benjie R. Pangan
At Close Range
JUST when the year is about to end, a strong typhoon hit the Visayas, some parts of Bicol and Mindanao, leaving behind several homes damaged and livelihood scuttled.
It was a not so merry Christmas for some of our brethren in the South as Typhoon Odette made its presence felt in Siargao, Surigao del Sur and Norte, Agusan del Norte and its southern part. Again, our brothers in the south were left homeless, penniless and hopeless, relying once again on dole-outs from our national government and the private sector.
Bohol, like all the affected areas, had to declare a state of emergency just to gain access to calamity funds, which proved to be insufficient for the needs of the residents. Governor Arthur Yap had to sound the appeal for help to the national and local governments just to give adequate food and shelter to his fellow Boholanos. Other executives of the affected areas did the same for their constituents.
President Rodrigo Duterte all but admitted that the government is running short of funds, which would be bad news to the victims of Typhoon Odette. Presently, they are surviving on relief packages being given by civic organizations, but how will the dole outs last?
Definitely, this Christmas will be bleak for all of the victims of the killer typhoon. Add to their misery is the breakdown of the major telco companies and the electric power and water supply!
Other countries have taken notic of their sad plight and, as of late, they have mobilied their respective disaster agencies to extend assistance to the victims.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, ever responsive to those in need, urged Manilenos to pay it forward and help typhoon Odette victims. He wrote in his Manila Bulletin column: Our hearts go out to the victims of typhoon Odette that did not only render families homeless but also left people dead when Christmas is just as few days away. As always, we in the City of Manila wasted no time to help in our own little way those who have been displaced by the said tropical cyclone in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
He concluded his column thus: We can pay it forward by simply helping our fellow citizens who are not that fortunate.
If this presidential aspirant can deliver more and prove to be true to his word, then our choice for the next president of our country would not be that difficult to make.
