On its 10th year anniversary
TACLOBAN CITY – This year’s 10th anniversary of the devastation of Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ will be more of a thanksgiving.
This was disclosed by city tourism officer Malou Tabao who said that the city government will be giving honor to all groups, nations, and individuals who extended assistance to Tacloban and its people when it was pummeled by Yolanda in the morning of November 8,2013.
Through their immediate assistance, the recovery of Tacloban not only became easy but rather fast, she said.
“This year will be a celebratory one. Like celebrating of life and thanking God that we are still here and we are back. Thanking all the organizations that helped us including, countries and national government agencies,” Tabao said.
Tabao disclosed that President Ferdinand Marcos was invited to attend the decade year observance of the Yolanda landfall that killed over 2,200 people in Tacloban alone.
The President, she said, has yet to confirm his coming.
Last year, the President graced the 9th year Yolanda commemoration where he attended the program and mass at the Yolanda mass grave site in Holy Cross Memorial Cemetery.
Secretaries of national government agencies were also invited.
Among those who had confirmed their presence were Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr., Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, and Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum, according to Tabao.
Some of the international non-government agencies that signified their presence in next month’s event include the Oxfam, USAID, Save the Children, and World for Food Program, among the many international humanitarian organizations that aided assistance to the city and its people.
Among the activities prepared for the 10th Yolanda commemoration are the resiliency forum organized by the Office of Civil Defense, and Handa Pilipinas forum of the Department of Science and Technology.
Yolanda, the strongest typhoon to hit inland in modern times claimed about 6, 300 lives in the Visayas, of which 5, 902 were from Eastern Visayas.
The super typhoon affected 44 provinces encompassing five regions and displacing 4.1 million people with an overall damage estimated at more than $5.8 billion.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
