Amid long queue lines to gasoline stations where petrol prices have shot up to P110 per liter, damaged homes, no electricity and no signal, people have started to pick up their lives a week after Typhoon Odette unleashed its fury on the island of Bohol. Most roads are now cleared, people have started to clean and fix their homes, and businesses have resumed operation.
In the coastal community of Jagna, Ang Probinsyano, one of the very first party-list organizations to reach out to communities hit by Typhoon Odette, stayed true to its cause of giving aid to “probinsyanos.”
Ang Probinsyano distributed Noche Buena and ayuda bags to 350 families on Christmas eve.
Ronson Tumaliwan, an auxiliary officer of the Philippine Coast Guard, and a permanent resident of Jagna, said: “There are several areas in Bohol that remain impassable to vehicles, thus hampering relief operations. These include the towns of Ubay and Trinidad.”
“This is why we are thankful for Ang Probinsyano party-list because those of us living in the outskirts are given aid. As one of our residents said, we are grateful we have ingredients to prepare spaghetti for Christmas,” Tumaliwan said.
The residents, despite undergoing a traumatic experience, have ready smiles when Ang Probinsyano party-list Rep. Alfred Delos Santos personally visited them.
“I am happy to see that you are still full of energy. That is a good sign that we have not lost hope. That we have not lost the determination to celebrate Christmas,” the lawmaker said.
“Let us not lose faith. Let us not give up. Ang Probinsyano party-list is one with our fellow probinsyanos in your efforts to recover,” Delos Santos added as he held a dialog with local residents at the Looc Multi-Purpose Hall and Tubod Monte Operation Center.
The party-list has also been in contact with the various local government units in Bohol, Cebu, Surigao and Siargao to coordinate how Ang Probinsyano could extend its assistance.
Delos Santos noted that while the national government’s efforts have been focused on the hardest hit areas, some places in the outskirts have yet to receive help.
These are the areas Ang Probinsyano party-list will be visiting and extending aid in the next few days, he said.