TACLOBAN CITY – A town mayor from Pangasinan expressed her amazement at how this city has risen from being a ‘rubble city,’ 10 years after it was devastated by Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda.’
Mayor Riza Peralta of Balungao town was in the city to join the 10th-year commemorative program of Yolanda’s onslaught on Wednesday (Nov. 8).
She was in the city days after Tacloban was pummeled by Yolanda as a volunteer.
“The people really did an amazing job and I love what I see now,” Mayor Peralta said.
“During that time, the scene was really heartbreaking and you need to learn how to endure for you to survive,” she said adding that she could no longer identify the city terrain now compared to what she saw 10 years ago.
As a local chief executive who saw the devastation of the super typhoon, Peralta said that this gives her a better understanding of how important preparation is when an impending calamity or disaster is approaching.
“Nobody could always be prepared for a disaster but as much as possible if there is preparation to mitigate its effect, maybe we could lessen its impact and devastation that it may cause,” Peralta emphasized.
Cooperation between local government officials along with support from the national government and other entities makes it easier to recover from any effects of disaster and calamities no matter how big the catastrophe is, the town mayor added.
During the 10th Yolanda commemoration at the Tacloban City Astrodome graced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., he urged Filipinos to support the national government in strengthening the country’s disaster preparedness, recovery, and resiliency to overcome whatever adversities brought by natural disasters and calamities.
“It is an opportunity to become stronger, wiser, and better as we as people and we as a country,” the President said highlighting the applications and technologies developed such as GeoRiskPH and PlanSmart that aim to save people’s lives.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
