Residents clean their mudded houses caused by floodings due to heavy rains brought about by Super Typhoon Rai in Loboc town, Bohol province on December 21, 2021, days after the super typhoon devastated the province. (Photo by Cheryl BALDICANTOS / AFP)
LOBOC, Bohol – The wife of Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Wednesday visited Barangay Valladolid in this municipality to personally hand over mattresses and relief goods to scores of families who were left homeless following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette.
Diana Lynn Ditan-Domagoso, who was accompanied by Loboc Mayor Leon Calipusan, said she and her team went to the municipality not only to hand over the initial batch of relief goods, but also to personally assess what further assistance would be sent later on to Boholanos taking shelter in evacuation centers as part of “Operation Tabang” of Team Isko Moreno.
“Huwag kayong mag-alala. Kaya naman ako pumunta dito at gusto ko rin makapunta sa inyo kasi marami rin kaming mga kaibigan, and this is not about politics, marami rin kaming kaibigan na gustong magpadala ng tulong pero hindi nila alam kanino papadaanin at tinatanong nila kung ano ang pwede pa naming ibigay,” Domagoso said.
“Katulad nyan kailangan pa pala natin ng mga kutson, ano pa ang kulang nila? Pero unti-unti po, marami pong gustong tumulong, hindi lang politiko, pati ordinaryong mamamayan,” she said.
Domagoso also urged victims of the super typhoon not to lose hope despite the tragedy that befell them because the “bayanihan spirit” is very much alive among well-meaning Filipinos, especially Manileňos, who are ready to help and provide them with assistance.
“Habang kayo ay sinasalanta dito, everybody was mobilized. Kahit na papano, kahit na hindi maganda ang nangyari, ‘yung mga Pilipino nabuhay uli ‘yung bayanihan (spirit). Kaya gusto ko malaman ninyo, hindi kayo nag-iisa. Naririnig kayo ng mga kababayan ninyo,” Domagoso said.
Calipusan thanked Domagoso and the rest of Team Isko Moreno for visiting the municipality and provide immediate help to his constituents, particularly Barangay Villadolid which is one of the areas severely damaged by Odette.
According to him, almost all residents of Barangay Valladolid are in the evacuation area.
“Kaya kami nagpapasalamat sa grupo ni Mayor Isko. Andito kayo nagdala ng mga maibigay sa kanila na makatulong naman na medyo gumaang ‘yung buhay nila dito sa evacuation center,” he said.
“Maski medyo maraming sira, Merry Christmas pa rin sa lahat lalo na sa Team Isko na nagbisita sa amin dito,” Calipusan said.
For the Manila City government and Manileňos, extending assistance to calamity victims is nothing new under the leadership of Mayor Isko.
The city government of Manila had been regularly sending help either in manpower, relief goods or cash assistance to any part of the country hit by calamity.
It said that even before appeals for help were voiced by local governments hardest-hit by Odette, Moreno had wasted no time in putting together an assortment of assistance to help those who have been displaced by the super typhoon in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
On Friday, the Manila City Council allotted P2.5 million in assistance — P1 million for Cebu, and P500,000 each for the provinces of Bohol, Leyte and Surigao del Norte.
Moreno also launched “Tulong ng Manilenyo sa mga Nasalanta ni Odette” donation drive and appealed to Manila residents and business groups to pitch in as a way of helping communities in southern and central Philippines devastated by the super typhoon.
Last Monday, Mayor Isko personally flew to Bohol to personally hand over to Governor Arthur Yap the P500,000 allotted by the city government, plus another P500,000 donated by well-meaning individuals and organizations, and four generator sets as initial assistance to Boholanos.