On 8 November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda in the Philippines, hit the country. Over 6,000 people were reported dead, 28,626 were injured and 1,785 were still missing at 29 January. At least 16 million people were affected by the super typhoon, more than a quarter of whom have been displaced.

Public sector workers were expected to carry on as normal without any additional aid or financial assistance. They were on the front line, working as volunteers and helping others. But one public employee describes the government's reaction to their situation:

"Nobody cares for us. We didn't receive anything from the aid agencies. Even the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) has not given us anything. They said we are government workers, we are already paid monthly salaries, so we don't need any help. They have everybody else assistance, but they never gave us anything. That is really unfair because we are all victims. Disasters don't choose their victims. We also lost our homes, our properties. We all suffered from the typhoon and the oil spill so why aren't they giving us any assistance?"

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