Aquino distressed by typhoon toll, number of missing persons

Residents walk amongst their destroyed houses after Typhoon Pablo hit Compostela town, Compostela Valley province, in southern island of Mindanao on December 4, 2012. AFP/KARLOS MANLUPIG

MANILA, Philippines—As Typhoon “Pablo’s” death toll continued to rise, President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday expressed alarm at the large number of missing persons and wondered if the government could have done better to lessen the number of deaths.

Aquino, who had been getting regular updates on the death toll and damage, is scheduled to fly to disaster-stricken areas in Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental on Friday.

Speaking at the awarding ceremonies for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations in Malacañang, the President said he had been up all night thinking about the high death toll and wide swath of devastation left by the powerful storm in Visayas and Mindanao.

“I apologize for coming in late. Our thoughts are in Mindanao, especially on the number of the missing. We want to be certain that our countrymen who are missing… will be found and rescued,’’ he said.

“Yesterday morning, when the number of the dead ranged from 30 to 60, we were already wondering: Did we do enough? Is there anything else we could do to save the 30 or 60? As we speak, the estimated number of dead is over 300,’’ he added.

“Many questions have been bothering us from last night to dawn, because I want to face every Filipino and be able to say that we did everything possible to save our countrymen. One dead is too many,’’ he said.

Hours before the typhoon’s eye or center made landfall, the President appealed to the public on national TV to heed warnings and move to safer ground, saying the powerful storm should not be taken lightly, as he ordered the prepositioning of government resources and personnel to areas in the path of the storm.

The President said the disaster was another challenge that the country has to go through, and summed up many Filipinos’ sentiment about the disaster: “It’s sad to think that some of our countrymen will be spending Christmas not around a table filled with food for ‘noche buena’ but in evacuation centers with other families who had to flee their homes.’’

Aquino lamented that while government agencies made the necessary preparations, including preemptive evacuation, and managed to save thousands, more than 300 still ended up dead in the aftermath of the storm.

“Of course we won’t stop in crafting new systems and mechanisms so that in the near future we will not only minimize the number of the victims. Our target is that no life should be sacrificed in times of disasters. Our hope is that Filipino families will always be whole when celebrating Christmas,’’ he said.

The President appealed to the members of the winning youth organizations to make some sacrifice, say a little prayer and share provisions with the victims.

“Christmas is near, and my only request is that we don’t forget the families whose joy will not be complete this Christmas. Let’s include them in our prayers,’’ he said.

“If you plan to go on a gimmick with your friends this Christmas, your celebration will be more meaningful if instead of spending your money on a movie, you just share clothes, blankets or food with the victims of tragedy. Let’s light up our fellowmen’s lives with hope, and our joy will be doubled,’’ he said.