President Duterte will visit various areas affected by “Odette”.
PRESIDENT DUTERTE — The Philippine President said that he will visit the various provinces affected by typhoon “Odette” this weekend.
President Duterte made this announcement himself during a virtual briefing on the typhoon in Malacañang with his disaster-mitigation officials last Friday.
The President asked Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Ricardo Jalad whether or not the Surigao airport was operational. According to Jalad, the terminal in Siargao island was damaged but its runway was usable.
The President then asked for updates on Iloilo, to which the OCD administrator replied that authorities were still gathering information on Western Visayas.
“I’m flying tomorrow (Saturday) to the area [Siargao]. Also I would hit, maybe Leyte, Surigao, and there’s enough time, Bohol. Then day (Sunday) after I would try to visit Cebu then dito sa eastern side of the islands– Bacolod, Iloilo,” President Duterte said. “I’m not so much worried about damage to structures, infrastructures of government. Ang takot ko is maraming namatay. I am as eager as you to go there to see for myself.”
READ ALSO: President Duterte Says Government Still Trying To Raise Funds For “Odette” Victims
The President also said that the government was trying to raise funds for the typhoon response as the COVID-19 crisis has “depleted” the national budget.
He then assured the public that the government was doing its best in order to address the effects of what he called the “imponderables” like typhoons. According to the President, the government was trying to scrimp how much they can raise so they can marshal it to the typhoon-stricken areas.
Siargao was one of the first provinces in the south that “Odette” made landfall on this past Thursday.
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