Vice President Leni Robredo and other personalities led the crowdsourcing of donations, motorboats and other equipment for relief operations of victims in the wake of Typhoon Ulysses.
“Ulysses” with maximum sustained winds of 155 kph and gusts of up to 255 kph entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on November 9 and made landfall three times starting in Quezon province on November 11.
The typhoon’s strong winds and heavy downpour triggered widespread flooding in many parts of Luzon, particularly in Quezon and Mega Manila (Metro Manila and surrounding provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal).
As of writing, local authorities reported that at least 12 people died in the aftermath of the tropical cyclone.
Mark Timbal, spokesperson of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, told reporters that 363 search and rescue teams have been deployed.
Social media was also immediately rife with threads and posts of individuals who were stranded in their houses submerged or partially submerged in floodwaters.
The hashtags #RescuePH and #ReliefPH, the phrase “call for donations,” Marikina and other related topics trended on Facebook and Twitter as a form of “bayanihan” among Filipinos.
Marikina Mayor Marcy Teodoro earlier appealed for air rescue following the dumping of rains and overflow of the Marikina River triggered flooding across the city.
Robredo’s initiatives
In a series of tweets on Twitter, Robredo updated the public about her office’s activities in monitoring and responding to calls for help in affected areas since 1 a.m. on November 12.
At 10 am on the same day, she called initiated crowdsourcing for available motorboats to be lent to local authorities.
“Crowdsourcing for rubber boats which can be lent to LGUs overwhelmed with calls for rescue,” she said.
Robredo also responded to calls for help from Filipinos they placed under her posts and shared updates on them on her account.
So far, her team’s relief operations in cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard and other related personnel are still ongoing.
Robredo’s efforts made her name “Leni” be talked about again on the micro-blogging platform with over 10,600 tweets under its belt.
In a separate post on her Facebook page, the vice president also shared a list of emergency hotlines of LGUs, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Bureau of Fire Protection and other related government agencies.
Other initiatives for rescue and donations
Singer-songwriter Kakie Pangilinan, the daughter of Sharon Cuneta and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, used her Twitter cloud to call for immediate rescue for those in hard-hit localities.
Angel Locsin, who was known to conduct relief operations before, told her followers how they can contribute while keeping safe at home.
In a post on Instagram, Locsin also shared official hotlines of government agencies that the public can call for help.
“My heart bleeds for those heavily affected by these typhoons #Rolly & #Ulysses. Praying that you, your loved ones, and colleagues are safe and secure,” she said.
“Our resilience will always be greater than any calamity! Alagaan natin ang isa’t isa. Keep safe mga kababayan ko,” she added.
Many concerned Filipinos, meanwhile, did their part collating Twitter threads various donation drives for typhoon victims.