DAVAO ORIENTAL GOV APPEALS FOR UNITY AND SOBRIETY IN THE FACE OF STRIFE By Ferdinand Zuasola Davao Oriental Governor Corazon Malanyaon stressed that she is “on top of the command” of the ongoing search and rescue and relief missions in the typhoon –stricken towns of the province and calls for unity and sobriety among her constituents. “This is not the time for blaming everyone. This is the time to inspire everyone and to do what is supposed to be done. This is not the time to incite people to indignation, instead we need to inspire people to take positive action. This is not the time to be selfish and insensitive and pursue personal agenda but the time to forget ourselves and empathize with those who suffered from the devastation. For the victims, it’s not time to be angry because everyone is hungry. We need to work together and put our acts together. Everything may not be perfect but together we can build on these imperfections. In the face of this strife, I appeal to the people of Davao Oriental for unity and sobriety,” says the emotional Governor Malanyaon who lost a number of relatives including her sprawling house to super typhoon Pablo. The typhoon has wiped out practically all structures in the municipalities of Boston, Cateel and Baganga, which is the economic center in the first congressional district of Davao Oriental. And despite much preparation that includes forced evacuation of residents residing in coastal villages, the typhoon’s strength is simply overwhelming that it destroyed all evacuation centers killing scores of people right inside the supposedly safe refuge areas. Large concrete buildings in the business districts including the three municipal government buildings, and all schools, hospitals, houses of the rich and poor were all wiped out by the monstrous typhoon. As of December 13, 2012, rising death toll reached 382 of which 100 remains unidentified. The local disaster office says 49,337 families in the province have been badly displaced by the disaster. “I would like to clear this out that the devastation of these areas in Davao Oriental was not caused by flashfloods nor landslides which are usually associated with illegal logging and illegal mining. It was not caused by water surge from the sea. It was caused by the velocity or gustiness of the wind 250 kph which is b
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