President Aquino said that the death toll from Haiyan's storm surges and raging winds was far lower than the 10,000 the UN and Philippines Red Cross believe perished. The official death toll issued by the government currently stands at 2,344.
But with over 20,000 still missing, relief agencies expect the number of dead to climb sharply in the coming days.
The president of the French charity Rescuers without Borders said he had seen 1,000 dead bodies alone in a village outside Tacloban.
Supplies of food and water are running dangerously short in many regions, while hospitals in the worst-hit areas are barely functioning due to a lack of medicines.
Disease outbreaks are a real fear, with survivors forced to drink contaminated water and temperatures set to rise after days of rain.
Ever-increasing amounts of international aid are now flooding into the Philippines, but blocked roads, downed power and communications and a precarious security situation are still hindering relief efforts.
Despite a much more visible military presence on the streets of the flattened city of Tacloban, the breakdown in law and order following widespread looting is such that the city's mayor is urging its residents to flee.
Gunshots are a daily occurrence. Petrol stations are refusing to re-open and pump fuel from their underground tanks to supply the few functioning vehicles left in Tacloban to transport the aid arriving at the city's airport.
Surviving shop owners are also reluctant to open again and order new stock for fear it will be looted immediately.
Nor can Tacloban collect or bury its dead, who continue to line the wrecked streets. An attempt to bury 200 people in a mass grave had to be aborted yesterday after the convoy came under fire.
Vice-mayor Jerry Samba Yaokasin called for the US and UN to send soldiers to help maintain order.
"If the United States will come in, or the United Nations, it will really help us secure the city," he said.
Another 700 US troops are on their way, to join the marines already running Tacloban's airport. The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its support ships are expected to arrive Friday, followed by the British destroyer HMS Daring.
Yet, with some remote coastal communities still completely cut off, that help may be too late for many victims of Haiyan.
But with over 20,000 still missing, relief agencies expect the number of dead to climb sharply in the coming days.
The president of the French charity Rescuers without Borders said he had seen 1,000 dead bodies alone in a village outside Tacloban.
Supplies of food and water are running dangerously short in many regions, while hospitals in the worst-hit areas are barely functioning due to a lack of medicines.
Disease outbreaks are a real fear, with survivors forced to drink contaminated water and temperatures set to rise after days of rain.
Ever-increasing amounts of international aid are now flooding into the Philippines, but blocked roads, downed power and communications and a precarious security situation are still hindering relief efforts.
Despite a much more visible military presence on the streets of the flattened city of Tacloban, the breakdown in law and order following widespread looting is such that the city's mayor is urging its residents to flee.
Gunshots are a daily occurrence. Petrol stations are refusing to re-open and pump fuel from their underground tanks to supply the few functioning vehicles left in Tacloban to transport the aid arriving at the city's airport.
Surviving shop owners are also reluctant to open again and order new stock for fear it will be looted immediately.
Nor can Tacloban collect or bury its dead, who continue to line the wrecked streets. An attempt to bury 200 people in a mass grave had to be aborted yesterday after the convoy came under fire.
Vice-mayor Jerry Samba Yaokasin called for the US and UN to send soldiers to help maintain order.
"If the United States will come in, or the United Nations, it will really help us secure the city," he said.
Another 700 US troops are on their way, to join the marines already running Tacloban's airport. The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its support ships are expected to arrive Friday, followed by the British destroyer HMS Daring.
Yet, with some remote coastal communities still completely cut off, that help may be too late for many victims of Haiyan.