Duterte wants to return to ‘Odette’-hit areas to assess new dev’t
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte wants to return to provinces ravaged by Typhoon Odette, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 2021, to assess the recovery of survivors and rehabilitation of devastated areas.
During Duterte’s taped address to the nation that aired Tuesday, he said that he will assess if government agencies heeded to his order.
“Mga plastic pa ‘yung shelters nila (Their shelters were still plastic), that was the time that I asked you to bili ng (buy) tarpaulin para mas maano ito (so that)—to guarantee a more or less effective shelter against the coldness of the night I want to go back to—itong tignan ko ‘yung pati ‘yung tabla (I’ll also check the wood planks),” the president said.
“Anong binigay ng different agencies? ‘Yung sa NHA (National Housing Authority) kung ano bang klaseng bahay na natindig nila?” he added.
(What did the different agencies provide? The NHA, what kind of houses have they built?)
Duterte, however, said that COVID-19 pandemic hinders their mobility.
“I want to make the rounds again kaso ang problema nito may COVID. Alam mo that is the only reason na hindi tayo makagalaw because we are prohibited from doing a certain act which is a government trabaho natin, mahirap ‘yan,” he said.
(I want to make the rounds again but the problem is COVID. You know, that is the only reason we cannot move because we are prohibited from doing a certain act which is a government duty, it’s difficult.)
“My PSG (Presidential Security Group), ‘di ako pinapaano—sabi ko, balikan ko ‘yung mga lugar na tinamaan ng bagyo at kung ano na ang sitwasyon at whether or not, sinunod ba nila ‘yung utos ko kasi I’m sure wala pa masyadong tarpaulin ‘yung iba saka kung may pera pa ba,” continued the president.
(My PSG, they are not—I said, I will go back to the areas hit by the typhoon to assess the situation and whether or not they followed my order because many people may have no tarpaulins and if they still have money.)
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development earlier said that some 597,000 houses were damaged by Odette.
