Mons. Broderick Pabillo, Manila auxiliary bishop and the president of Caritas Philippines, assesses the situation in areas hit by typhoon Haiyan.

Did the humanitarian aid get to the victims of typhoon?

We're trying to get to the devastated areas, especially to the islands of Leyte and Samar, which were hit the hardest. But it is still very difficult. The electricity is still not working or we're running out of gasoline and it's not even possible to connect with the people. We sent assistance by airplane and by ships to big cities, such as Tacloban and Cebu, but we don't have the power to get directly to the victims. The people have to come to distribution centers for help. That is not easy, because those who survived had to walk tens of kilometers while hungry and exhausted.

Is the solidarity on rise in the country?

Of course. The Filipinos who weren't struck by the typhoon are more than willing to help the victims with donations and prayers. Here in Manila, lots of volunteers help to prepare packages with humanitarian aid which are then sent to affected areas. Also, they welcome those who survived and managed to get into cities such as Cebu and Manila. They are not as many though, because military aircraft is the only one flying. They told us about the terrible and desperate situation of the people who remained on the place. There's a lack of everything – water, food and medicines.

Also, we announced nine days of prayers in memory of the victims in all parishes that will last until the 19^th of November. Likewise, we accept financial donations that will help the victims of the typhoon.

What are the priorities for the upcoming days?

The main task remains the same - providing food and shelter to all the victims of the typhoon. So the international community should keep on helping, we'll be able to get to the remotest areas in a few days. We need more helicopters in order to deliver the packages with aid to hundreds of villages where we haven't been able to get yet. An urgent priority for the government is to clean the roads and extricate the bodies that remained “scattered” amongst the wreckage. A lot of victims had to bury their loved ones by themselves. Hence, there is the threat of significant health risks.

Finally, I would like to call for greater transparency in the acquisition and transfer of the donations. It is vital that the aid provided by individual countries and intergovernmental organizations is aimed directly to the victims and not to the government as was the case in the past.