Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Romualdez recently led events commemorating the fifth anniversary of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” that affected over eight-million persons in the region—1.69-million families, 7,904 barangays, and 409 municipalities—and left 6,300 dead, 1,061 missing, and 28,689 injured.
The mayor visited a mass gravesite at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden as well as the Barangay Basper public cemetery ahead of the anniversary on Nov. 8, which will be declared a city holiday by Malacañang.
President Rodrigo Duterte, former Senator Bongbong Marcos, Leyte 1st District Rep. Yedda K. Romualdez, and former Rep. Martin Romualdez will grace the event on Nov. 8.
Taclobanons are expected to gather at the 120-square-meter Yolanda Shipwreck Memorial Park, release sky lanterns and light candles and enjoy a concert at the Tacloban City Hall.
“To the volunteers, local and international NGOs, LGU officials, good public servants from the national government, and to everyone who has a good and helping heart, may you always have the strength and power to help the needy ones, now and in the future,” said Mayor Romualdez.
“To our friends and loved ones who left us during Yolanda, you will always be missed and remembered. You are our inspiration to continue moving on and live the most of our lives,” she added.