THE Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday appealed for relief and support for fishing communities affected by Typhoon Vinta.
In particular, Pamalakaya said families of fishermen from Palawan who were killed or remain missing urgently need the government’s presence.
Citing various reports, Pamalakaya said at least 34 people were confirmed dead, while more than 60 others remain missing. Most of the victims were fishers who went to fish off Mangsee island in Palawan when Vinta struck the province last week.
The group has high hopes the missing fishermen may still be waiting to be rescued by authorities, hence, it urged the Philippine Coast Guard to continue its search-and-rescue operations.
“We call on the authorities to hasten the search and rescue operations for the missing fishermen and other victims of Vinta in Palawan and, as much as possible, returned to their respective families safe. It is unfortunate the fishermen are still forced to go offshore despite the turbulent weather conditions because they don’t have an alternative source of income in times of natural calamities,” said Fernando Hicap, chairman of Pamalakaya.
The group said the national and local governments must mobilize its rehabilitation funds to provide assistance to the families of the missing fishermen and to the entire fishing community in Mangsee Island devastated by the typhoon.
“The government must also speed up its efforts to rehabilitate the typhoon victims in a form of economic relief and livelihood support to help the fishing families get back to their wheels of production,” Hicap said.
Pamalakaya urged the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to check on the ground the exact number of the typhoon’s casualties and strictly coordinate with the appropriate government agencies concerned in rehabilitation.