Marcos on ‘Yolanda’ year 11: Improve disaster response

Metro Manila, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the country should remember lessons from Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), one of the strongest and deadliest storms on record, as it faces extreme devastating weather.

In a statement on Friday, Nov. 8, Marcos said calamities that followed Yolanda in November 2013 “delivered a payload of lessons” on how to improve national response to disasters.

“Yolanda” claimed over 6,000 lives and damaged billions of pesos of infrastructure.

Marcos said heeding the “powerful lessons” is the best way to honor the victims.

“As the most disaster-prone country in the world, we cannot do otherwise,” he said. “We do not have the luxury of ignorance, inaction, and complacency.”

The president said authorities must “guarantee the speedy delivery of relief and aid” and at the same time make communities more resilient against calamities.

Meanwhile, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, the president’s cousin, led the commemoration of the 11th anniversary in the city. The coastal city was ground zero for “Yolanda.”

They held mass at the Anibong Shipwreck Memorial. It is a shrine carved out of portions of a cargo ship that was beached due to storm surges, destroyed houses, and killed 11 people.

“Kasabay nito, ipagdasal din natin ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan na kasalukuyang humaharap sa malalakas na bagyo,” he said.

[Translation: Let’s also pray for the safety of our countrymen who currently face strong storms.]

The nation observed the 11th anniversary of “Yolanda” amid rehabilitation efforts from damage caused by Typhoon Kristine (Trami) and Super Typhoon Leon (Kong-rey). Typhoon Marce (Yinxing), meanwhile, made multiple landfalls in Cagayan on Thursday evening, Nov. 7.

President assures ‘Yolanda’ rehab promise met

Meanwhile, Marcos said the government “fully assume[s]” the responsibilities on unfulfilled commitments to Yolanda rehabilitation.

“Though no singular fault of anyone, many of these pledges remain unredeemed, and we shall see to it that what the state owed to impacted people and places will be satisfactorily settled,” he said.

In 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged that a number of housing units for Yolanda victims remain unoccupied, with thousands of projects still incomplete. 

State auditors said among the reasons for the low occupancy rate were lack of supply for water and power, and the ill-suited location of housing to the beneficiaries’ livelihood and other social services such as education and health.

The COA called on local government units and the National Housing Authority to fasttrack the turnover of finished housing units to intended beneficiaries.

Priest: Stop mining in Eastern Samar

Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez also called for a stop to mining operations in Eastern Samar as he posed a challenge to “deepen your commitment to caring for our environment.”

The Diocese of Borongan covers Eastern Samar, where “Yolanda” also caused major damage.

“I urge our leaders to reconsider and stop the mining operations in the Islands of Homonhon and Manicani, which threaten our natural resources and the livelihoods of our people,” Varquez said.

“Together, let us advocate for a sustainable future that honors our God-given land,” he added.