Philippine President Benigno Aquino waves to flood victims during his visit to Calumpit, Bulacan, a province north of Manila yesterday
DPA/Manila

The Philippine president yesterday vowed more help to thousands of residents struggling with massive floods in northern provinces amid concerns over disease outbreaks.
President Benigno Aquino III assured flood victims in the provinces of Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga and Nueva Ecjia that the government was preparing rehabilitation and reconstruction plans for their communities.
“The government is here to work for you, we will not abandon you,” he told a townhall meeting in La Paz town in Tarlac province.
More than 200,000 people have been affected by the flooding, according to the Office of Civil Defence.
Many residents have set up makeshift tents on their roofs, atop dikes or on roads where the floods have already receded.
There were increasing reports of respiratory diseases such as colds and flu among the increasingly unsanitary conditions in many of the flood-hit areas, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said.
Health personnel were also on the lookout for any potential outbreaks of cholera, dysentery, dengue, typhoid fever and leptospirosis.
The health department was also concerned with the inadequate number of portable toilets in evacuation centres.
The floods were triggered by Typhoons Nesat and Nalgae, which pummeled the northern Philippines last week, leaving at least 76 people dead and 29 missing.
The two cyclones damaged infrastructure and agriculture worth nearly 10bn pesos ($232 mn).
On Tuesday, the Red Cross appealed to the international donor community for $3.89mn in aid.