Several groups and individuals led by House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez have teamed up for the first Yolanda Commemorative Ride on Sunday to give back and raise funds for the survivors of Super Typhoon Rolly.
The event, which has over 2,000 registrants, the Romualdez couple said, is a way of paying forward by the Warays who have also been victimized by Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded on November 8, 2013.
“We organized this event not only to raise funds. We are here to show our brothers and sisters in Bicol and other areas devastated by the recent typhoon that they are not alone,” Majority Leader Romualdez said as Region VIII commemorates the 7th year of the Yolanda tragedy this Sunday.
“We are here to stand by them and give them all the support that they need in these trying times.”
“I have no doubt that with all our support, these survivors can also rebuild their communities just like we did seven years ago. We, Filipinos, are known for our resilience. Hindi tayo kayang pabagsakin ng bagyo o anumang trahedya,” he added.
Rep. Yedda Romualdez meanwhile stressed that just like the resilient Waraynons, the victims of Rolly, especially the Bicolanos, would rise and emerge stronger with the help of all Filipinos.
“Like a Phoenix, we have risen from the ashes of devastation. It was not easy, but we managed to stand up and recover our ground. Thanks to friends who rushed to our aid, we were able to resume our daily lives and rebuild our communities. Salamat sa kanilang malasakit, nakabangon tayo,” Rep. Yedda Romualdez said.
“This value of ‘malasakit’ prompts us today to gather anew despite the risk brought by the pandemic to be able to raise funds for our brothers and sisters who suffered the brunt of Typhoon Rolly. We have heard their cries, and we are here now ready to rush to their aid,” she added.
This developed as Assistant Majority Leader and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles on Saturday renewed his support for the construction of permanent, disaster-resilient evacuation centers.
Nograles urged the government to allocate funds for the building of the facilities. “In these times when quarantine facilities and evacuation centers are competing for space, the best solution is to build permanent evacuation centers,” Nograles said.
He said that given that the country experiences strong typhoons regularly, having permanent evacuation centers rather than make-shift ones should be top priority.
“We have to deal with the reality that at least once a year, our country faces a disaster of a scale that requires evacuation,” said Nograles.
In the past, education has had to take a backseat since many evacuation centers are set up in schools, he added.
The SIKAD: Urusa nga Pagpitad para ha Pag-uswag (Sama-samang Paghakbang para sa Pag-unlad) will be held on November 8, 5 a.m. at the Tacloban Astrodome, in coordination with the City of Tacloban, Tacloban SK Federation, and the Region 8 Bicycle Advocacy Community.
Organizers have set health protocols to ensure the safety of participants such as proper registration, temperature checks, wearing of face masks and helmet, observance of physical distancing, and disinfection.
All successful registrants will also be qualified for a raffle to be conducted after the ride.
Some of the event’s sponsors are: Sonia’s Bike Shop and Military Supply, Manang Lumings Store, and Show and Go.