MANILA, Philippines - She wants to be with her provincemates in their time of need.
But former first lady Imelda Marcos, who is being treated for diabetes, was advised by her doctors to remain in the hospital.
Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said his mother has expressed concern over the devastation in Leyte.
“With great concern, of course, and we are keeping her apprised of the situation on the ground and what we have been doing to help,” he said.
The senator said they would have wanted to downplay the extent of the disaster for their 84-year-old mother, but she had also been following reports on television.
“Don’t lose hope. We shall rise again as one,” was Imelda’s message to her provincemates.
She was a former congresswoman of the province.
The Romualdez clan has been dominating Leyte politics for decades now. Imelda’s nephews Alfred and Martin are mayor of Tacloban City and congressman of the first district of Leyte, respectively.
June Arvin Gudoy of the media and communications office of Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos said the Marcos family is coordinating with the government and even the private sector to provide relief assistance for Yolanda victims in Leyte.
The Ilocos Norte government had sent an initial batch of relief goods and P1-million aid.
Ancestral home
Marcos said they have not checked the condition of the family ancestral house in Leyte because they are busy coordinating relief efforts in the affected areas.
He said potable water is a priority concern for Leyte residents.
“We have been trying to get water treatment plants there. Also, water filters for immediate use are being acquired and slowly distributed,” he said.
He said they are also helping in efforts to expedite the distribution of relief goods.
“There seems to be lack of organization in dispatching goods from Cebu and many donated items have not left for stricken areas,” he said.
Marcos and his Romualdez cousins have put up the HelpLeyte.PH website to provide updates and coordinate relief efforts for Yolanda victims.
Stepped up relief efforts
Meanwhile, lawmakers from Yolanda-hit areas have stepped up relief efforts even as they called for more volunteers to help ease the misery of their constituents.
In a statement issued yesterday, world boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao said he is dedicating his upcoming fight against Brandon Rios to the victims of the typhoon and the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck Central Visayas.
Pacquiao’s strict training schedule prevented him from visiting the affected areas, but his foundation and congressional office sent relief packages and joined relief efforts.
Aklan Rep. Teodorico Haresco said the low casualty in the province was due to the forced evacuation in coastal barangays.
He said the local government led by Gov. Florencio Miraflores had pre-positioned goods at evacuation centers, including schools, with rolling kitchens serving rice porridge and other hot food.
He said barangay clearing teams were immediately created, each provided with chain saws to enable the speedy entry of relief goods. He said medical teams with ambulances were also pre-positioned to treat the injured and bring those seriously hurt to provincial hospitals.
Haresco thanked President Aquino and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas for their quick response in assisting the province.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, leader of the Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives, said they had sent at least 60,000 bags of relief goods.
Politicking
Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza hit Roxas for politicking, saying it is hampering relief work in Tacloban City.
Atienza cited a complaint from the Tacloban City mayor that Roxas asked him to certify that he can no longer function as the city’s elected chief executive.
He said Roxas should just focus on running the relief operations in provinces devastated by the typhoon.
