Philippines marks Typhoon Haiyan

BBC Online :Thousands of people have taken part in a memorial walk on the anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan which ravaged central parts of the Philippines a year ago.Crowds marched through the city of Tacloban as sirens sounded and bells rang at the exact time the storm hit.There were also anti-government protests at what some see as the slow pace of rebuilding.President Benigno Aquino has denied moving too slowly. More than 7,000 people were killed in the disaster.Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, hit on 8 November last year sending huge storm swells into inland areas and destroying wide swathes of central Philippines.More than four million people were displaced, many of whom are still living in temporary shelters.Ceremonies were held on Saturday at mass graves in Tacloban where several thousand victims of the storm are buried.Thousands marched by candlelight through the city at dawn, passing through areas devastated by the typhoon.Gathering at the graves, mourners wrote names of loved ones on white crosses planted symbolically to represent unidentified victims.”It’s important that we make it meaningful, so for the next generation’s people will remember this,” city mayor Alfred Romualdez said, quoted by Reuters news agency.Hundreds also staged protests in the city and in the capital Manila at what they regard as a lack of progress in reconstruction.