Presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao on Sunday called on the government to address the water and sanitation problems hounding areas affected by Typhoon Odette, as he warned of a looming outbreak of water-borne diseases in these places due to lack of sanitation and proper waste disposal.
Pacquiao said some people in these areas are desperate for water that they drink even from untreated sources including waterways that are also used for washing and bathing.
The senator said he is already looking for suppliers of water filtration systems that can be used to provide clean and potable water to evacuation centers and communities that have difficulties in looking for drinking water.
“Ayon sa mga ulat ng ating mga teams na nasa ground para magbigay ng mga relief ay may mga lugar daw na napahirap talaga ang tubig kaya kung saan-saan na lang sila kumukuha ng pang-inom (Based on the report of our teams in the ground there are places that are having a hard time getting clean water),” Pacquiao said.
“Kailangang masolusyunan agad ito dahil maaaring mas malala ang magiging problema natin kapag dumami ang mga magkakasakit dahil sa maduming inumin at maduming kapaligiran (We need to find solutions to this as soon as possible because this could lead to more dangerous problems if more people get sick due to dirty water and environment),” Pacquiao said.
He said the best option to solve this sanitation problem is to provide the evacuation centers and affected communities with toilet systems that are easy to transport and assemble.
According to the lawmaker, he is now in the process of negotiating the procurement of these portable toilet systems that use chemicals to treat human wastes and turn them into harmless and odorless organic materials.
“These portalets will not just provide a sense of privacy and security for the people, especially the women but these will also contribute a lot in ensuring the sanitation of our evacuation centers and nearby communities,” Pacquiao said.