PBBM: ‘The tragedy of ‘Yolanda’ continues’

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday reflected on the tragedy of Super Typhoon "Yolanda" that resulted in thousands of deaths, as he graced the 9th-anniversary commemoration of the killer typhoon in Tacloban City.

"The tragedy of Yolanda continues… I think it is important that we come to these commemorations because it is also a demonstration, a manifestation of the strength and the courage of Filipinos," Marcos said in his speech at the Holy Cross Memorial Garden in the Eastern Visayas town.

"(This is) to remind ourselves that Filipinos are brave, that Filipinos are kind, and that Filipinos will conquer all, especially if it is for their community, for their families, and for the land that they love," he added.

The commemoration, the President said, is a way to keep the memories of the typhoon's victims alive.

"I come here because I must commemorate those uncounted dead; up to now we do not know how many that number is. We must come to these commemorations so that we will remember those who were told not to remember," Marcos said.

"If you remember during the count of the casualties, the count was stopped, and we knew that there were still thousands out there. For those countless thousands, we come here, we commemorate. Because if we no longer commemorate, their memory dies. It is only up to us to keep that memory alive," he added.

Marcos is hopeful that the success of Tacloban in rebuilding itself following the monster storm will give inspiration to other cities that "even if there are tragedies and disasters in other places, we know the Filipino spirit will never be quelled."