BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar— Vice President Sara Z. Duterte called on residents of the province to build disaster-resilient communities and unite against local terrorism.

“Owing to its geographical location, Eastern Samar faces two challenges. It is vulnerable to natural calamities and a breeding ground for insurgency,” Duterte said during the province’s celebration of its 57th founding year.

“And that’s two things that I want to emphasize today — our preparedness against calamities and our problem with local terrorism,” she added.

Duterte described the province’s founding celebration as having a “profound meaning for most people of Eastern Samar — a province that continues to stand strong over the years despite its constant affair with deadly storms and its problem with insurgency.”

Easter Samar was among the badly-hit provinces of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. It is also a stronghold of a local rebel-armed group.

She said the success in building resilient communities lies in the cooperation of stakeholders, the government, and its people.

“I come from Mindanao and marami ding mga problema doon. I was born and grew up in Davao City but I think the secret to success in making a strong city, a strong province, is the unity and cooperation of the government and the citizenry,” she said.

“Community awareness, disaster risk reduction education in schools, disaster preparedness, and efficient local warning systems will help us become resilient to natural disasters. In other words, collective action,” she added.

Duterte said the celebration of the province’s almost six-decade founding anniversary depicts both the triumphs and losses of the province — including the lives lost during the onslaught of Yolanda — described to be one of the strongest weather disturbances in the history, and the victims of terrorism.

“Nine years may have passed, but the memory of Yolanda may continue to torment many residents of Eastern Samar who survived or lost their loved ones to the tragedy,” she said.

“As we gather here today, may I urge everyone to remember those who died because of Yolanda and all the past calamities — both natural and human-induced, like the spree of terrorism carried out by the New People’s Army against their fellow Filipinos, including civilians,” she told the crowd.

Duterte also called on parents to never let terrorist groups take on their children’s future.

“May I call on everyone to protect the security and peace of your province against local terrorist groups,” she said.

“Ayaw ninyo tugti ang inyong mga anak nga musampa sa NPA. Ayaw ninyo tugti nga madaot ang ilang kaugmaon,” she said. OVP MEDIA