Survivors of landslides need therapy, help to start over – VP Leni

Many people who survived the deadly landslides that devastated various areas in Camarines Sur need psychological therapy for treatment and other forms of assistance, Vice President (VP) Leni Robredo said.

Robredo, who returned to Manila on Friday from her two-day visit in her home province, said landslide survivors have to undergo therapy, especially for those who lost almost all of their family members.

“Ang laking psychological na therapy iyong kinakailangan ng family members na naiwan. Pero hindi lang siguro psychological therapy, pati iyong paano sila magsisimula muli, lalo na iyong mga nawalan ng magulang (A psychological therapy is much needed by family members who were left behind. It’s not only psychological therapy, but also how can they start over, especially those who lost their parents),” she said.

The Vice President went to Sagñay and Buhi towns on January 2 to 3 to bring financial and relief goods to her fellow Bicolanos, who lost their loved ones and homes due to the landslides.

Robredo spoke to the surviving victims who shared their “heartbreaking” stories on the tragic incident. One of those stories is that of a father whose eight children were found buried in the mud, with his wife and youngest child still missing.

Landslides destroyed and buried the houses in Iraya and Patitinan villages, located in these towns, in the aftermath of Tropical Depression “Usman,” requiring the evacuation of affected families.

The government's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council listed 57 deaths in Camarines Sur, where most of the casualties were recorded in Bicol region.

Her office pledged to continue helping the landslide victims in Camarines Sur to rebuild their lives.

The Office of the Vice President is working with Angat Buhay partners to provide psychological therapy and other assistance to the displaced residents.

Returning from her two-day trip, she said there is still so much work to be done to rehabilitate landlslide-hit areas in Bicol.

“They will be needing a lot of our help in the coming days,” Robredo, a former Camarines Sur representative, said in a Facebook post.

Among the help needed are water supply, shelter, and livelihood, she said.