Nine years after the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda today (Tuesday, November 8), the lessons learned from the tragedy continue to guide the country’s response to calamities and highlight the Filipinos’ capacity to unite and help one another during times of crises, Speaker Martin Romualdez said.
“As we commemorate the ninth anniversary of Yolanda that battered the country, most especially Eastern Visayas, we honor and offer prayers to those who perished during this unfortunate event, as we raise our glasses to the brave souls, our first responders, who put the lives of others above their own during the onslaught of the super typhoon,” Romualdez said.
“This resilience is borne in part by the sacrifices of our first responders, our unity in the face of adversity, and our propensity for compassion toward our fellow citizens in times of calamities,” he added.
Yolanda, a Category 5 typhoon, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, leveling most of whatever structure was standing in Eastern Visayas in 2013.
Romualdez, who represents Leyte, is from Tacloban, which has been hit hard by the typhoon.
“While it is very difficult to forget the horrors we faced during Yolanda, the important thing is we learned from this harrowing experience. And if we learned from this tragedy, we continue to honor those who perished and those who willingly sacrificed their lives for the benefit of others,” the Speaker said.
“We have recovered fully from Yolanda, and this is a testament to the Filipinos’ resiliency. Whatever calamity we will face—and surely there will be in the future—we can overcome because of this resiliency and our sincere compassion toward our fellow Filipinos,” Romualdez said.
The House of Representatives, led by Romualdez and other representatives, has recently raised over P75 million in cash and in-kind donations both from lawmakers and private donors for families affected by the recent typhoon Paeng.
The effort was also spearheaded by TINGOG Party-list Reps. Yedda Romualdez and Jude Avorque Acidre, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman, Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe, and other House leaders.
“Helping people in times of calamities is close to our hearts because we were recipients of overflowing compassion during the onslaught of Yolanda. Compassion is what we Filipinos will never run out of,” Romualdez said.
“But the real heroes behind our recovery from every calamity are really our first responders and rescue workers. They risk their lives to save others. They are the true heart and soul of our resilience,” he added.
The House, in a resolution filed by Romualdez and other lawmakers, recently honored five rescue workers who all died in the performance of their sworn duties.
They are Narciso Calayag Jr., Jerson Resurreccion, Marby Bartolome, George Agustin, and Troy Justin Agustin, who all perished while saving others during the onslaught of super typhoon “Karding” in Bulacan.
“They—our first responders and rescue workers—do not only put their lives on the line during calamities, but they also greatly help in the recovery and rehabilitation of calamity-affected areas. They are our unsung heroes, and they all deserve all the recognition,” the Speaker said.
Some towns and cities in Samar and Leyte, including Tacloban, have declared a suspension of classes and work today to commemorate the 9th anniversary of Yolanda.
In separate executive orders, Mayors Alfred Romualdez, Ed Ong, Remedios Petilla, and Percival Ortillo Jr. suspended classes at all levels and work in government offices in Tacloban City, Carigara, and Palo in Leyte, as well as in Marabut town in Samar.
