MANILA, Philippines—The lives lost and the lessons learned from Supertyphoon “Yolanda” should not be forgotten, and to ensure remembrance, Bayan Muna lawmakers have proposed the construction of a memorial in Tacloban City.
Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares (left ) and Carlos Zarate. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
In their bill, Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate said the memorial would be a tribute to those who died and it should constantly remind government officials and the people that they must work to make the Philippines disaster-resilient, especially in the face of climate change.
The lawmakers noted that Yolanda was one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country. The emergence of such typhoons has been attributed to climate change.
More than 6,000 were killed and more than 1,000 injured when Yolanda plowed into Leyte and Samar in Eastern Visayas on Nov. 8. Yolanda generated gigantic storm surges that swept whole communities into the sea and beached hulking ships on coastal villages.
Colmenares and Zarate said the memorial for the victims should be inscribed with a message stating that the people in the government must use their utmost knowledge to ensure a disaster-resilient nation, and enforce appropriate, decisive and climate-adaptive policies to protect lives and livelihood.
Part of the inscription, they said, should read, “May this never happen again.”
The inscription may be translated into Filipino or Waray, or both, depending on the local government, they said.
The bill states that the Department of Public Works and Highways should oversee the memorial’s construction in Tacloban City, and coordinate with local officials.
The communities ravaged by Yolanda are undergoing rebuilding and rehabilitation, with water and electricity slowly being restored.
But many areas have yet to be cleared of storm debris, and thousands of people displaced by the typhoon have yet to rebuild their homes.
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