Ormoc City, Leyte
19 November 2013

“Magaling lahat kayo,” said President Benigno S. Aquino III as he paid a visit to Ormoc City, one of the heavily devastated areas in the province of Leyte.

On his arrival, he led the ceremonial distribution of relief goods packed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). He then headed straight to the city hall where he held a brief statement to some of the affected families present in the area.

In his remarks, President Aquino lauded these families for being strong and for setting a good example to others who had also been distressed by super typhoon Yolanda. “Tuloy lang niyo yung ehemplong ginawa niyo na ginagaya ng iba. May bagyo hindi natin maaawat, pero ‘yung gagawin pagkatapos ay talagang ipinamalas naman ninyo ‘yung muling pagbangon kaagad,” he said.

The President added that impoverished families, aside from those affected by the typhoon estimated to 900,000 and 28 countries have already expressed their intentions to help. He will return to Ormoc in a week, as he will hold meetings with his Cabinet members on concrete actions that can be done for this city.

Ormoc City is one of the high class cities in Leyte. On the onslaught of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), rapid assessments show that there had been 34 casualties as of November 16. Actions are still being undertaken to provide assistance to ravaged areas, such as distribution of relief goods, medical missions and clearing operations.

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