Vice President Leni Robredo. ARNOLD ALMACEN/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The office of Vice President Leni Robredo has called on the public to lend a hand in the relief operations for Filipinos affected by Typhoon “Nina” (international name: Nock-Ten) in the Bicol region and other parts of the country.
“Our sympathies to the families who spent their Christmas in evacuation centers due to tropical storm Nina. But we have faith in their resilience borne from many previous experiences,” the office of the Vice President said in a statement.
“While we have faith in the resilience of our people we still call on the Filipino public to help out in the ongoing relief efforts of all agencies and private sector partners to alleviate suffering in typhoon-hit areas during this very special time of the year,” it added.
The OVP also assured the public that the former Camarines Sur representative, who travelled to the United States with her family for the Christmas break, has been monitoring and directing her office to work with local officials and agencies in putting up relief centers for “immediate emergency response on the ground.”
“The OVP is also coordinating with the Angat Buhay partners and other private groups in Manila for donation, both food and non-food items that can be transported and deployed to Bicol,” the statement read. “Furthermore, the Vice President has been in constant communication with her team since Friday. She has also deployed a team in Bicol to assist local relief operations.
“In the spirit of Christmas, let us give hope to many of our brothers and sisters and enable them to bounce back faster from this latest trial in their lives,” the OVP added.
Nina continued to weaken midday Monday. A state of calamity was declared in Albay and Camarines Sur. JE/rga