ZAMBOANGA CITY: While most Filipinos are caught in a whir of gift-giving and preparing lavish dishes for Christmas, people in areas battered by typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha) continue to suffer because heavy rains have crimped the delivery of relief goods to hard-hit communities.

The downpour felt in the south flooded many villages, particularly the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental where government relief efforts are continuing for the victims of Pablo.

The military said that many roads have become impassable because of flash floods and dangers posed by landslides. Relief operations have slowed down due to flooded roads, but aid continue to pour for tens of thousands of people affected by the deadly typhoon on December 4.

Sulu province has sent truckloads of relief goods for the typhoon victims. Gov. Sakur Tan said that the aid was part of a campaign launched by the provincial government in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Sulu Area Coordination Center and the Sulu Women’s Council headed by his wife, Hajja Nurunisah Tan.

“These are concerted efforts by our people and in our own little way, we try our best to help those affected by the typhoon. We also would like to express our grief to the families of those who perished in the typhoon,” Tan said.

Fazlur Abdulla, executive director of the Sulu Area Coordination Center, said that the Sulu Women’s Council was behind the campaign to bring aid to the provinces worst hit by the typhoon that left more than a thousand people dead and missing.

Civil Defense Chief Benito Ramos said that survivors of the typhoon are more concerned on finding food, water and shelter instead of thinking about Christmas.

“There will be no celebrations. It is just too sad,” he said.

“It’s a heart-rending thing. There is no sign of Christms in the whole area,” Dr. Martin Pareno, nutrition coordinator for Action Against Hunger International, said.

“We empathize with the victims of the typhoon and in behalf of my colleagues in the Sulu Women’s Council, I would like to express my gratitude to those who shared their resources to help those in need. Our efforts are nothing compared to what the calamity victims are enduring,” she said.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman, of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, also led a humanitarian mission in New Bataan town in Compostela Valley. He distributed relief goods to typhoon victims.

Zamboanga also donated P2 million for the typhoon victims.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said that they would continue relief aid to Mindanao and vowed to look into the plight of the typhoon victims.

But San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito-Estrada said that the current administration must provide more help and support to typhoon victims.

JV said that aside from relief goods, the government should also consider providing them with farm inputs and post harvest-facilities, since areas that were badly hit by Pablo were mostly farming communities.

“As we celebrate Christmas, let us not forget our brothers in Mindanao who have lost their own homes and their loved ones,” he said, adding that the provision of farm inputs will be a good initial step to help farmers immediately rehabilitate their farm lands.

He said that banana farmers in Compostela Valley are now keen on planting corn and other quick-maturing crops and vegetables so that they can have an alternative source of income.

The banana subsector bore the brunt of the typhoon, destroying about P22 billion worth of bananas. Coconut farmers also lost over P700 million of crops due to strong winds. Without intervention, the San Juan lawmaker also said that affected residents in Mindanao would soon go hungry.

“There is a limit to the relief goods and other forms of assistance we could give to typhoon victims. We need to help the victims stand on their own two feet,” he said.

AFP helps
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that it will continue with its humanitarian mission in typhoon-devastated areas until ordered to stop by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Gen. Jessie Dellosa, Armed Forces chief-of-staff made the assurance on Sunday after he visited military troops involved in relief and humanitarian operations in hard-hit municipalities in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental.

“Although some of our soldiers conducting humanitarian and relief operations will miss Christmas with their families, the Armed Forces will continue to render its selfless support to the typhoon victims,” Dellosa said.

The Armed Forces chief visited the 67th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Davao and the 66th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Banganga, Compostela Valley where he was briefed on the sorry situation in the typhoon-affected areas.

The Armed Forces has raised more than P19 million for typhoon victims. The money came from soldiers’ donations and the savings from the cancelled Christmas parties of its various units and offices. The Department of National Defense, Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association Inc. and the Armed Forces Savings and Loans Association Inc. also pitched in with their donations.

“More than the cash donations, a simple gesture of physical support will encourage and inspire the typhoon victims to slowly stand up and look forward to a brighter tomorrow. The Armed Forces since day one has been with our people conducting search, rescue, and relief operations alongside other government agencies and civilian organizations,” Dellosa said.

The latest figures from the Risk Reduction council showed that the death toll from Pablo reached 1,067, while 834 people remain missing.

Damage to agriculture and properties had ballooned to P34.4 billion.

WITH A REPORT FROM WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL