AFTERMATH All kinds of debris pile up at the compound of the Sto. Ni帽o Shrine and Heritage Museum in Tacloban City after Supertyphoon 鈥淵olanda鈥� (Haiyan) swept through the Visayas in 2013. 鈥�(FILE) PHOTO BY NI脩O JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed that his administration will assume the unfulfilled pledges to victims of Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), 11 years after its massive destruction to Eastern Samar, Leyte, and surrounding provinces.
鈥淎ll unfulfilled commitments made in the past for Yolanda rehabilitation are responsibilities we fully assume,鈥� Marcos said in a statement.
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鈥淭hough no singular fault of anyone, many of these pledges remain unredeemed, and we shall see to it that what the state owed to impacted people and places will be satisfactorily settled,鈥� he added.
The president also called calamities 鈥渢eaching moments鈥� and 鈥渆very one that came after Yolanda delivered a payload of lessons that instructed us how to improve our response.鈥�
鈥淪ince then, we have strengthened institutional bulwarks against calamities, which our countrymen have matched with increasing care and compassion for those affected,鈥� he added.
Additionally, Marcos commended the bayanihan of Filipinos, which led to the easing of pain for the victims and the rebuilding of their homes and livelihoods.
READ: Work not yet done in helping Yolanda victims 鈥� Marcos
He then recognized the assistance of the international community, 鈥渨hose outpouring of support helped us heal fast.鈥�
鈥淭heir response reaffirmed a tenet civilization must uphold when one nation faces an emergency or an existential threat鈥攖hat no man is an island, indeed,鈥� he said.