Siargao LGU cites Lucio Tan III’s help in Typhoon Odette response
FILE PHOTO: Fallen trees and those shredded of their leaves by the sheer fury of the winds of Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) give no shade under the blazing sun in this photo taken on December 20, 2021, of a street on Siargao, four days after the island received the full force of the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2021. AFP
Providing help when it was most needed, Del Carmen, Siargao Mayor Proserfina “Baby” Coro revealed how the elusive grandson of tycoon Lucio Tan mobilized some companies under their group to immediately send relief to the residents of the island.
“On behalf of the local government of Del Carmen and the people of Del Carmen, I would like to express our utmost gratitude and appreciation for your generous donation… SALAMAT KARAJAW, Mr. Lucio Tan III, Tan Yan Kee Foundation, and Philippine Airlines. You always have the Heart of the Filipino!” said Coro in a statement.
In an earlier Facebook post, Len Coro, the daughter of the Del Carmen Mayor, thanked the young Tan for the donation of bottled water. “After the wrath of typhoon Odette, we were very worried with the lack of available drinking water. In fact, there was an outbreak of diarrhea in some areas of Siargao due to the scarcity of clean water. Further, most water refilling stations were not operational since there was no electricity,” said Len in a post.
Ms. Coro added that this was the first donation of bottled water to be received by the LGU following the calamity. The young Tan was in the United States on official business when he learned of the devastation caused by the typhoon in Visayas and Mindanao. He immediately coordinated with the executives of the group for updates on the extent of the calamity. He was informed of the plea for assistance coming from the Mayor of the municipality of Del Carmen, Siargao where the island’s airport is located.
Mayor Coro related that 300 hundred boxes of Summit and Absolut drinking water were carried on humanitarian flights mounted by PAL on December 20 and 24. These flights also brought in medical personnel and flew home tourists stranded in Siargao. Families with babies and children aged 0-5 years old were prioritized during the distribution, according to the Mayor, benefitting some 2,145 of the young victims of the typhoon. The families belong to 20 barangays in Del Carmen, including four island communities in Barangays Caub, Halian, San Fernando and Domoyog as well as the upland community of Barangay Mayahay.
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