Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 17)— President Rodrigo Duterte will visit areas hit by Typhoon Odette this weekend.
In a situation briefing with government officials on Friday, the President announced he would be flying to Surigao and other provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.
“I’m flying tomorrow to the area (Surigao). Also I would hit maybe Leyte, and if there is enough time, Bohol,” Duterte said.
The chief executive added that he’s also planning to check on Cebu, Bacolod, and Iloilo on Sunday.
Odette made at least nine landfalls in the country — the latest in Roxas, Palawan. Some local officials have estimated billions of damage due to its onslaught while disaster management officials are still verifying reports on casualties.
Meanwhile, Duterte said the government is still trying to raise funds for the typhoon response. He admitted that the national budget has been “immensely depleted” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Itong COVID, naubos ang pera natin (Because of COVID, our funds were depleted). So we’re trying to scrimp how much we can raise so that we can marshal it to the areas affected,” the President said.
