BY HANNAH TORREGOZA
Sen. Richard Gordon bared Monday that super typhoon “Rolly” has isolated Catanduanes, with 80 percent of houses in the province destroyed by the howler.
Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, said the capital town of Virac was heavily devastated and that supermarkets and hospitals are totally damaged but the airport and seaports were not heavily damaged.
A number of persons are reportedly missing. There is also lack of oil supply being reported, the senator said.
However, he said, it is still difficult for the PRC to know the full extent of the damage since most communication lines in the island province were damaged.
“All of our people have been mobilized, they’re going around town by town, to take a look at the damage on housing,” Gordon said in an online interview.
The PRC, he said, is taking care of the evacuees and other individuals who were affected by the typhoon. “We are taking care of them by way of appeal,” he said.
“Parang Haiyan ito eh. Parang ‘Yolanda’,” Gordon said.
“Kung ico-compare ito sa Yolanda, it’s about 70 percent ang damage nito sa Yolanda, pero mabagsik talaga ang Yolanda,” he said.
As of now, Gordon said the PRC has only seen the extent of damage in San Andres, Bato, and Virac. He said the ground personnel still have eight local government units (LGUs) to look into.
He also said the PRC were able to get two persons who died of drowning. One is a female while the other fatality was retrieved by the Philippine Army.
Gordon, however, said he saw some improvements in the way the national and local government responded to the calamity.
“I have to congratulate many of our LGU officials na nakapag pre-emptive evacuation at na-secure nila ang mga tao,” the lawmaker said.
