The Tacloban City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved an ordinance proclaiming November 8 as a Day of Remembrance and Gratitude. It was on that fateful day that Tacloban and other parts of Region VIII were devastated by the Super Typhoon Yolanda.
Councilor Aurora Aimee Delgado-Grafil principally authored the ordinance and it was passed by the city councilor last September 20.
Part of the ordinance stated the follwing:
“November 8 of every year is hereby declared as ‘A Day of Remembrance and Gratitude’ in the city of Tacloban to pay tribute to the memory of all who died during the onslaught of (super) typhoon ‘Yolanda’, to the survivors whose resiliency inspired people around the globe, and to all volunteers and organizations who took part and contributed in the recovery and rehabilitation efforts of the city.”
The ordinance also includes a mandate that the Office of the Mayor, through the City Tourism Office as the lead agency, to come up with the planning, implementation, and supervision of the annual event with the coordination with non-government and government organizations.
Leyte Representative Yedda Marie Romualdez, authored a similar measure and was approved earlier by the House of Representatives.
Under House Bill 4383, every Nov. 8 should be ‘Yolanda Commemoration’ and special non-working holiday across the region.
The measure was also authored by Councilors Gerry Uy, Evangeline Esperas, Raissa Villasin and Jose Mario Bagulaya with Councilor Maria Elvira Casal as co-sponsor.
The city of Tacloban was considered as the ground zero of the super typhoon Yolanda which is the strongest typhoon to hit inland.
There were more than 2,200 who people died from the city while about P10 billion worth of properties were destroyed when Yolanda ravaged the city on November 8, 2013.
Tacloban City’s recovery was fast and smooth with the help of the various government and international organizations, also with those under the umbrella of the United Nations.
Source: leytesamardailynews