Just two days after Super Typhoon ‘Lawin’ (international name Haima) ripped through northern Philippines, Vice President Leni Robredo made her way to Cagayan to assess damages and bring help to affected residents.
‘Lawin’ was stronger, bigger, and faster than ‘Yolanda’ (Haiyan) in 2013. ‘Yolanda’ claimed more than 6,000 lives in Visayas, but according to Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba, he only received two confirmed reports of typhoon-caused deaths so far.
‘Lawin’ made landfall in the town of Peñablanca, Cagayan Province (roughly 15 hours north of Manila) and affected 11 municipalities in the province.
Robredo met with Mamba and local officials to find out what kind of help her office can provide. Mamba explained road clearing and restoration of utilities are top priorities as of the moment.
Robredo, who also heads the National Housing Authority, recalls visiting the northern islands of Batanes after Typhoon ‘Ferdie’ last month and floated the ideas of using the Ivatan design for “stone houses to make them calamity-proof or ready,” according to an ABS-CBN News report.
After visiting Cagayan, Robredo headed to Ilagan, Isabela.
