The support extended by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte to typhoon-ravaged Liloan City won praises from the Cebu locality’s people led by its leader, Mayor Christina Garcia-Frasco.
Frasco aired her personal thanks to Duterte during the Jan. 14 episode of “Sara All For You’ program, saying that the help extended by the Davao City chief executive to her constituents was prompt and sincere.
“Mayor Inday, you were the first to call to ask what Cebu needs in its recovery. And we are very grateful for your help and your continued love and support for all the Cebuanos. Thank you for being here for us in our time of need. Daghan gyud kaayong salamat,” Frasco told Duterte, who is running for vice president.
Cebu is among the provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao affected by the havoc wrought by Typhoon Odette, which left hundreds dead, thousands of families homeless, infrastructure destroyed, power and telecommunication lines cut, and agricultural crops damaged.
Frasco, in her update to Mayor Sara on the Liloan’s recovery efforts, said water services have already improved in many Cebu areas while power has yet to be fully restored.
“Ubay-ubay pa gyud sa atong mga kaigsuonang Sugbu-anon ang wala gihapo’y suga. As far as water is concerned, the restoration is much higher than power. Here in Metro Cebu, a lot of areas have already been restored by MCWD (Metropolitan Cebu Water District),” she said.
The Visayan Electric Company, which supplies power in Metro Cebu, has restored supply in 61 percent of the affected areas.
The Cebu Electric Cooperative (CEBECO) 1 and 2, which provides power in south Cebu, has already covered 51 percent, while CEBECO 3 has already restored power supply in 99 percent of northern Cebu areas.
Telecommunication signal in the entire province, she said, is now 60 percent restored.
She also expressed her gratitude to all the other government agencies and private individuals who donated drinking water to all Cebuanos.
“We’re also very grateful for all our partners that have come to our aid to help us provide free water sa atong mga kaigsuonan dinhi sa Liloan, sobra na sa 1.6 million ang atong nahatag nga free drinking water dinhi sa Liloan,” she added.
She said Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia allotted more than PHP2 Billion for the purchase of galvanized sheets, plywood, and other materials to support the restoration of houses devastated by the typhoon – an initial count of destroyed houses reached 87,000 in the whole province.