Robredo to visit typhoon-stricken Bicolanos

Fallen branches in front of a torn down structure in Guinobatan in Albay. (Photo from the Philippine Red Cross – Albay Chapter)

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo said on Wednesday that she would visit Bicol provinces devastated by Typhoon Tisoy, internationally known as Kammuri.

Robredo said teams from the Office of the Vice President have already been deployed to assess which localities were badly-hit and to address the needs of each area.

“I’m going home, but our team is there already,” Robredo, who hails from Naga, Camarines Sur, said in Filipino during an ambush interview with reporters.

The concentration of relief efforts were were the 1st District of Albay and the 2nd District of Sorsogon, the worst-hit areas, where drinking water was badly needed, she said, citing the reports she got from her team in those areas.

At the moment, she said some islands in the region were not accessible.

Another urgent need in the two provinces are construction materials because so many houses there had been destroyed.

Before reaching the West Philippine Sea on Wednesday, Tisoy cut through the Bicol region and the rest of  Southern Luzon and through Central Luzon, leaving around P667 million worth of damage to agriculture.

On Tuesday, the airport in Legazpi City, the capital of Albay, was badly damaged by the typhoon.

The typhoon has also interrupted several sporting events of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Robredo called for unity in the wake of the typhoon, urging Filipnos to help the Bicolanos who, even with their resilience, were still in dire need of assistance.

/atm