Faster aid delivery for ‘Lando’ victims urged

A TRUCK used for delivering relief goods passes by a C-130 plane leaving Villamor Air Base to bring relief goods to Aurora province. LYN RILLON

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Aurora Gov. Gerardo Noveras on Wednesday urged the national government to respond faster to the needs of victims of Typhoon “Lando” (international name: Koppu) in the province so they can recover from the impact of the disaster.

“I hope the national government can be quicker in helping our people in Aurora. Yes, we are resilient but as the elders say, what purpose do grasses serve when the horse is already dead,” Noveras told the Inquirer on the phone on Wednesday.

While the national government has been providing food packs and other items to victims daily since Oct. 22 when President Aquino checked the conditions of people in the province, Noveras said emergency shelters, cash-for-work and production support for farmers and fishermen have yet to come.

The typhoon made landfall in Casiguran town on Oct. 18, leaving a trail of destruction in 123 villages in Casiguran, Dilasag, Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Ma. Aurora, San Luis, Dingalan and the capital Baler, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said in a report. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon