Duterte calls for better infrastructure vs. storms

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday called for better infrastructure that can withstand the impact of storms following the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong.

Ompong slammed into northern Luzon over the weekend, killing several people and ripping a swathe of destruction on farmlands, downing trees and toppling power lines.

"I don’t know why God placed us here, but the fact is that typhoons and storms will be a part of our lives forever," Duterte said at a situation briefing on the effects of the typhoon in Isabela province. 

"That must be pasok sa utak ng mga anak natin that they have somehow to improve on everything, whether infrastructure, build stronger bridges, more resilient shelters and everything."

The President reiterated his desire for government to design and build gymnasiums to be used as evacuation facilities during calamities.

"Every time a typhoon comes, it becomes a problem of education, it becomes a problem of shelter, it becomes a problem of medical issues, it becomes a problem of infrastructure," he said.

Duterte made the statement after reading a news report that the Philippines will have to brace for four to five more tropical cyclones from October to December this year.

An average of 20 tropical cyclones lash the Philippines each year.

Duterte, meanwhile, praised the Isabela provincial government for achieving zero casualty during Ompong's onslaught. — RSJ, GMA News