Isabela slowly heads to recovery, donations overflowing

He added that they are working on the total recovery of the province and its residents as he thanked all the donors for the continuous relief assistance to their province. (File photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Facebook)

MANILA – Residents of Isabela province hit hard by Typhoon Ulysses are slowly returning to their normal lives as donations continued to pour in, Governor Rodito Albano III said on Friday.

During the Laging Handa public briefing, Albano said residents have begun cleaning up their damaged property.

“Maliwanag na rito at maganda na ‘yung panahon (It’s sunny here and the weather is now good),” he said, adding that typhoon-hit roads are now passable.

Albano said donations continue to flow in from various politicians, celebrities, and private individuals, along with non-stop assistance from the national government.

“At saka ang dami na naming natatanggap ngayon, lalung-lalo na sa pamahalaan, kay Presidente Rodrigo Duterte, nagbigay nang halos 20,000 sacks ng bigas para maipamahagi doon sa mga tao (We are also getting more donations from the national government, from President Duterte, who provided almost 20,000 sacks of rice to be distributed to the affected families),” he added.

Albano also cited that Davao Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and Mayor Sara Duterte donated a huge amount to purchase materials to repair the houses of residents wrecked by the heavy flooding.

Various senators have likewise pledged to assist in rehabilitating and restoring typhoon-damaged infrastructures in the province, he said, noting that the provincial government would prioritize the recovery of its constituents and addressing the health concerns.

The province is receiving too much relief goods from various donors, he said.

“Kung na-overwhelm kami sa pagdaloy ng tubig ganoon din iyong pagdaloy ng relief at ako ay natutuwa dahil iyong Bayanihan spirit ay bumabalik na naman sa ating mga kababayan (Just as we were overwhelmed by the flow of floodwaters, we are now overwhelmed by the flow of relief goods. I’m glad that the Bayanihan spirit is returning among our countrymen),” Albano said.

He added that they are working on the total recovery of the province and its residents as he thanked all the donors for the continuous relief assistance to their province.

“I-reserba na lang natin muna iyong pagtulong kasi umaapaw na rin iyong tulong dito sa amin. Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa intensiyon ninyo at hihingi na lang kami ng dasal ulit para tuluyang makabangon ho kami (Let us reserve the relief assistance for now as the donations here are already overflowing. We thank you for your good intentions and we will again ask for prayers so we could finally recover),” Albano said.