BAYBAY CITY, Leyte--Vice presidential candidate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte took a break from the campaign trail Friday, April 22 to visit victims of typhoon "Agaton", which recently hammered the country’s central islands inducing this province.
Duterte was accompanied by her campaign managers House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) and Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).
Duterte currently chairs Lakas-CMD, a national party. She also helped found the HNP, a local political group based in Davao.
Also with them were Mayors Jose Carlos Cari of Baybay City, Daisy Lleve of Mahaplag town and Mayor Lemuel Traya of Abuyog municipality.
Duterte visited and comforted 37 typhoon victims confined at the Immaculate Concepcion Hospital in here.
She also paid visits to hundreds of families rendered homeless by Agataon and which were temporarily sheltered at evacuation centers in this city and the municipalities of Mahaplag and Abuyog.
Baybay City bore the brunt of the fury of the typhoon as more than 100 people reportedly died from landslides and flooding.
Romualdez, who is president of Lakas-CMD, thanked Duterte for visiting his province mates.
“The visit means a lot to us. It uplifts our people’s spirits. They are still grieving over the death of some relatives, friends or neighbors. They are still suffering from the loss of homes and livelihood,” the House leader said.
Duterte, Romualdez, and Bautista urged the concerned government agencies to extend more help to victims of typhoon Agaton.
Aside from deaths and loss of homes and livelihood, the typhoon also caused extensive damage to infrastructure and agriculture. Mayor Duterte's visit at the Immaculate Concepcion Hospital with survivors.