With at least 110 million Filipinos and the more than P11 trillion debt legacy of the outgoing Duterte administration, nowhere is poverty greater than today — made more desperate by the impact of Supertyphoon Odette in the Visayas and Mindanao before Christmas.
Volunteers and communities have quickly ladled out food donations and necessities, but charity and humanitarian efforts alone are not enough. While schools and vacated buildings are serving as temporary shelters for the survivors, I wonder if churches can also open their doors and offer their pews to those rendered homeless?
The government must build houses for the poor sturdy enough to provide long-lasting protection against the effects of climate change, and equipped with adequate drainage to spare its residents from poor hygiene and the threats of cholera, typhoid fever, etc. But not just the government: How about rich families sponsoring a home for every poor typhoon victim and his or her family?
PIT M. MALIKSI
pitmaliksi2004@yahoo.com