Amid Duterte's tirades vs Robredo, Drilon calls for unity and solidarity

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon called for unity and solidarity to face the Covid-19 pandemic and the widespread damage caused by three deadly typhoons that hit the country in a span of two months.

"Our situation today calls for greater solidarity and unity. We are facing a grave situation with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic & the devastating typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses. We can and we should rise above politics during these trying times," Drilon said in a statement Wednesday.

Drilon issued the statement a day after the President lashed out at Vice President Leni Robredo as the country grapples with the havoc caused by recent typhoons, particularly in Luzon, which is now placed under a state of calamity, as well as the effects of the ongoing pandemic that crippled the economy and left seven million Filipinos jobless and five million families hungry.

"Ang kailangan natin ngayon ay magkaisa at magtulungan. Malaking dagok ang nangyayari sa bansa: 5 milyong Pamilyang Pilipino ang gutom, 7 milyon ang nawalan ng trabaho at bagsak ang ekonomiya sa nakalipas na siyam na buwan," Drilon stressed.

Drilon said all time, effort and resources should be focused on these critical issues, adding that there is lots of work to be done to rebuild communities, restore agriculture and infrastructure and help the victims of the typhoons get back on their feet.

In the face of a pandemic and calamities, all help should be welcomed, the minority leader said, as he also called on Filipino people here and abroad to help and reach out to the typhoon victims.

"Every hand counts and every action counts; and that includes the Vice President. We must all unite to help our kababayan who are heavily affected by the pandemic and the typhoons," Drilon said.

"We should be able to get out of this as a whole and as a nation. The 2022 elections should not get in the way of disaster response," said Drilon.