Some people from Virac, Catanduanes, are already hungry and cannot be reached by relief goods operations because some roads in the area are still impassable following typhoon Rolly’s ravages.
About 200 residents, including 57-year-old Gloria Tria, had to walk for about 4 hours to reach Barangay Hicming, where the local government sent relief goods.
Tria is from Barangay Dugui Too and could not get help due to landslides and broken roads.
Tria had to endure knee pain and walked for more than 8 kilometers.
Tria got 5 kilos of rice and some canned food, which they would eat for a few days.
Dugui Too is just one of the 3 barangays that relief goods did not reach. It was reported that there is no communication in the areas because the signal is still down.
The local government also admitted that it was difficult for them to collect relief goods.
Mayor Sinfroso Sarmiento Jr. was waiting at Virac airport just in case help comes.
“Para ‘yong Virac mauna sa mga relief na ibibigay kasi kami talaga ang hard hit,” said Sarmiento.
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Catanduanes in need of relief goods
The local government could do nothing but ask for help, especially since all 8,000 sacks of rice the National Food Authority in Catanduanes were soaked in the rain after the typhoon destroyed the warehouse.
The queue at water refilling stations is also long because the town still does not have enough water supply.
The provincial government of Catanduanes had earlier admitted that they would only have enough food for 2 or 3 days.
Their paddy fields and abaca trees, which are the residents’ main livelihood, have been destroyed.
But Malacañang assured that the national government would not let the people of Catanduanes go hungry.
Meanwhile, Malacañang expressed support in using the proposed funds of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) for relief and recovery efforts in Super Typhoon Rolly-hit areas.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said NTF-Elcac in helping typhoon victims in Bicol regions still falls under the task force’s purpose.