'Whiplash' typhoon a cruel blow for already poverty-stricken central Philippines

MANILA (Reuters) - The typhoon's name was Hagupit, which means "whiplash" in Filipino, and for the poverty-stricken rice farmers, fishermen, village workers and children of the eastern central Philippines, it was an especially painful blow.

Many villagers had yet to finish rebuilding their homes and lives after a super typhoon struck last year when Hagupit made landfall at the weekend, pushing a region where one in three are categorised as poor further into destitution.