Presidential candidate and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has vowed to double down on their relief efforts and continue sending aid to those affected and displaced by Typhoon Odette.
He urged the whole nation “to stay strong and unified in the face of the misfortunes that some of our countrymen are experiencing this Christmas.”
“My supporters will continue scouring the remote areas in the provinces that were badly hit by the typhoon to bring the necessary assistance. We will not stop helping them until such time that they will be back on their feet,” said Marcos, standard bearer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
In an interview with DZRH over the weekend, Marcos promised to visit the victims in other provinces, “as the reports of the extent of the devastation in their areas came in late because of poor communications.”
“It is not possible to go far. When the news came out in Palawan, it was a bit heavy so we sent a ship with relief goods for Odette’s victims and we will meet it there because I don’t think we can fly yet,” Marcos said.
He emphasized that aside from food, electricity, and other basic necessities, water has been a critical problem.
“We sent almost 30 tons of water to various places, but what we will do next is the filtration kit. We remember the cholera, the bacteria because of the dirty water,” Marcos said.
“Those are what we learned during Yolanda. Water really is the first thing. After we can send food, water is next, then construction materials because those houses that were damaged needed to be rebuilt or they can fix what was damaged in their house due to the typhoon,” he said.
After bringing back the life of the victims to its relative normalcy, Marcos will focus on helping them rebuild their homes, “because they need roofs to shelter as protection for them and their loved ones.”
Marcos assured the Filipino people that like in the past challenges that the country faced, “we will persevere and come out of this stronger than ever.”
“It is my fervent wish this Christmas season that we continue to pray for good health and prosperity, and that God may give us the courage to stand as a united nation, because it is only through unity that we can get back on our feet as we move forward to a brighter future,” he said.