Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in Estancia, Iloilo relayed their appreciation to Canada and its people, through Filipino Canadian Senator Tobias Enverga, Jr. (C, Ontario) saying, had it not for them, probably, “we would not have survived the catastrophe which befell us last November.”
Senator Enverga, Jr. visited the Central Visayan town during his four-week work and vacation trip to the Philippines.
During his talk with the residents, one family told Senator Enverga that they were attributing their survival to the timely arrival of Canada’s DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) unit. The family told him that the medical team did a tremendous job in the relief effort.
The residents described that the distribution of relief goods was well-planned and orderly.
Senator Enverga said that shelter being one of the immediate needs after Typhoon Haiyan, the tents sent by Canada, according to the locals, were certainly a blessing. Water purification and distribution were set up by Canadian engineers. Today, over a hundred families still live on tents.
The Conservative Senator recalled that when his party was headed to Estancia, he saw the devastation in the area. Thousands of coconut trees – one of the major crops of central Visayas, and other trees were uprooted, rooftops of concrete edifices blown out, commercial signages have their frames twisted, caused by Haiyan’s exceptional wind, packing at a sustained 230 kph speed.
“From what I saw, I believe that the Canadian relief goods went to the right parties,” the senator said.
“While reconstruction is ongoing, rehabilitation and recovery will take years. The support of Canada and its people, through various NGOs, continue and more support for programs will be announced soon,” Senator Enverga revealed.
You will recall that at the height of relief efforts, Senator Enverga, Jr.,– together with his wife, Rosemer and children, were on the frontline of the operation at the “Our Lady of Assumption Parish (OLA)” – the seat of the Filipino Chaplaincy in the Archdiocese of Toronto and worked with countless volunteers working with Fr. Ben Ebcas, Pastor of OLA and Head of the Filipino Chaplaincy.
When the first batch of the DART Team came home to Canada from a month of tour-of-duty in Central Visayas for the relief operation, Senatotr Enverga led a busload of Filipino Canadians to Trenton, Ontario to welcome back the soldiers and express the entire Filipino Canadian community’s appreciation for their work. (Office of Sen. Tobias Enverga, Jr.)
