Some of the country’s biggest firms are already mobilizing to help in areas badly hit by Typhoon Odette, a private sector foundation said on Monday.
The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), composed of some of the country’s major conglomerates, said teams from Meralco and Aboitiz Power have been deployed to restore power in typhoon-battered areas.
Village officials aid motorists in passing underneath an electric post topped by Typhoon Odette in Lapuz, Iloilo City on December 17, 2021. Kat Domingo, ABS-CBN News
Telcos are also “working furiously” to restore communications services in affected provinces, said PDRF president Rene Meily.
PDRF meanwhile lauded the “outpouring of help” from all sectors, saying private citizens are looking to donate goods and relief items to typhoon victims.
“It’s christmas season. It’s a christmas typhoon, sometimes god gives us blessings that are well disguised,” Meily said.
“So we got hit by this typhoon, but it gives us a chance to maybe celebrate the true spirit of Christmas by helping people,” he added.
PDRF said it was surprised by the rapid intensification of Odette from a tropical storm to a Category 5 typhoon in 24 hours.
Up to now, the foundation is getting requests to help look for missing loved ones and missing tourists, Meily said.
He said that economic zones with low taxes can entice firms to set up shop in these areas and bolster their economies into “mini-Hong Kongs and mini-Singapores.”
Article by ABS-CBN News
