'We're already hungry' Plea for food, water, medical supplies

MANILA • Urgent calls for food and water have gone out from Philippine provinces devastated by last Thursday's Typhoon Rai.

In Dinagat, a badly hit island province, food supplies were running low.

"Dinagat badly needs our help… There's almost nothing standing, and they're running out of food," said Vice-President Leni Robredo.

Siargao island, with its population of close to 200,000, was "totally devastated", said Surigao del Norte Governor Francisco Matugas.

Siargao was still cut off as at yesterday, but there had been calls for food, water, medical supplies and temporary shelters from officials who went there.

Looting had been reported, and many people were suffering from dehydration.

People had been seen on social media putting up signs with the words, "Gutom na po", which mean "We're already hungry".

Ms Robredo asked airlines to send more flights to Siargao so more aid could be delivered and more tourists could be flown out.

Answering the calls for help, Singaporean Tracy Tang, 35, has solicited some 1,500 foiled blankets and more than 100 water filter kits from Novatech Resources that she hopes to send to Cebu and Siargao this week.

"Each filter can clean 100,000 gallons of water," she said, adding that she hopes to get 25 more.

Ms Tang lived and worked in Cebu as a film-maker for six years. She now works for an info-tech company in Singapore.

The Singapore Red Cross, meanwhile, is providing some US$50,000 (S$68,300) in aid to typhoon victims.

It is also coordinating with its Philippine affiliate to help it distribute water, rice and grocery items to at least six communities.

President Rodrigo Duterte went to Bohol and Siargao yesterday, and promised officials there that they could expect some 2 billion pesos (S$55 million) in aid.