VIDEO: Soccer icon David Beckham visits Tacloban, region devastated by recent typhoon
The typhoon-ravaged Tacloban area of Philippines had a surprise visitor when soccer icon David Beckham arrived in a UNICEF plane on Thursday.
The former England soccer captain waved at a cheering crowd numbering in the hundreds before travelling from the small Tacloban airport to the temporary relief camps where hundreds of victims of Typhoon Haiyan have been holed up.
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Haiyan had caused more than 6,200 deaths in the central Philippine city in November last year, and left the city devastated.
Victims have remained homeless ever since and are struggling to recover from the catastrophe.
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A UNICEF Spokesperson said David Beckham was touched by the impact the typhoon had on the communities – and wanted to interact privately with children and their families.
Lilibeth Sacramento, a 55-year old government employee and Typhoon Haiyan victim said, “We’re very happy, even if we were devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (local name of typhoon Haiyan), it (his visit) has lifted our spirits.”
It is Beckham’s second trip to the Philippines as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. He toured a shelter for former street children in Manila during his first visit in 2011.
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