MANILA – The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), through the Office of the Global Media and Public Affairs (OGMPA), will feature how the Bicolanos recovered from the recent typhoons with the help of both the national and local governments in the 9th episode of the Laging Handa Dokyu series entitled “Oragon.”
In this short documentary, viewers will witness how the Bicol Region prepared for and responded to the Super Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses that first hit their area, on top of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation.
"The country faces not only the surge of the Covid-19. In the past few weeks, strong typhoons devastated parts of Luzon one after another. The Bicol Region has been heavily affected by the recent typhoons, flash floods, and lahar from the Mayon Volcano. Thousands of residents have been rescued, and they are still staying in the evacuation center, even when Covid-19 remains to be a threat," said PCOO Secretary Martin M. Andanar.
Families affected by the recent typhoons, or approximately 930,000 to 3 million individuals, are from 6,321 barangays in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), and National Capital Region (NCR).
Catanduanes Governor Joseph Cua said the culture of the Bicolanos is to be always prepared for the yearly natural calamities that hit their province.
"We are located on the eastern side of the Pacific, that is why when there is a weak or intense typhoon, it passes through us (Bicol Region). Over the years, we have developed that culture of always being prepared for typhoons," Cua said.
He added: "If they (Bicolanos) know that it is a super typhoon, they will seek shelter in well-built houses, and that is what we say is a big factor why we have few casualties here in Catanduanes during the typhoon "Rolly."
The recent calamities prompted various agencies and other sectors to provide different kinds of assistance to the affected Bicolanos, although the lahar flow from Mayon Volcano made the situation even more difficult.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) allocated more than PHP680 million for financial and crops assistance, farm equipment, fishing boats, and gears to be distributed to more than 32,761 affected farmers and fishers in the Bicol Region.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Region 5 Regional Director Claudio Yucot said the national government is ready to provide cash and food pack assistance, as well as search, rescue, and evacuation operations even before "Rolly" and "Ulysses" made landfall in the region.
"Five days before (landfall), it was a low pressure area. Then people knew that there was a typhoon. Three days before (landfall), the national government held a meeting to direct the security sectors and agencies to be prepared for it. The people here in Bicol are resilient, and already used to the typhoons, as though time has strengthened them to withstand any calamities,” Yucot said.
Regional Director Arnel Garcia of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Region 5 said the Bicolanos have an “Oragon” (determined) kind of attitude, which helps them withstand any calamities or crisis.
The DSWD has provided more than PHP53 million worth of assistance for families, individuals, and local government units affected by typhoons "Rolly" and "Ulysses."
"Our slogan is to provide that kind of ‘Oragon service’ all the time. We (Bicolanos) show this through the delivery of our services, which should be durable, strong, and sustainable at all times. Any crisis or calamities we face, we are united," Garcia said.
"First is the Covid-19 pandemic. Then the three typhoons, which almost wiped out our agriculture, so we have to start all over again. But this year, we can survive. We will survive," Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara said.
Meanwhile, Senator Miguel Zubiri reached out to the Bicolanos and provided various kinds of support for Region 5. He kept on pushing for the province to quickly recover from the aftermath of the typhoons.
"This is a time when we have to come together, rally together, all the government leaders in support of our brothers and sisters in Bicol," Zubiri said. "Individual LGUs won't be able to do it on their own. But, together we can beat these calamities that are constantly plaguing our country and what's important is that we remain united.”
The succeeding episodes of the Laging Handa Dokyu series will feature the Ilocos Region's tourism bubble, which is part of the recovery phase of the region, a day in the life of Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar, and the story of our indigenous peoples amid the pandemic.
Catch “Oragon” Nov. 29, 2020 at 9:30 p.m. on PTV-4 and IBC-13. It will also be livestreamed on the PCOO and the NTF COVID-19 Facebook pages, as well as other government-affiliated social media pages.
Media outlets are free to share and use our video materials and short documentaries. For inquiries, please e-mail us at [email protected]. (PCOO PR)
