President Marcos visited the storm-ravaged province of Catanduanes to assess the damage caused by Super Typhoon ‘Pepito’ and assure its weary populace that his administration would spare no effort to ensure their quick recovery.
“Do not hesitate to reach out if there are still unmet needs,” Mr. Marcos told residents on Tuesday.
“We are here to ensure that you recover and rebuild from this disaster,” he said referring to ongoing relief operations.
He noted the widespread destruction caused by the typhoon, which brought winds exceeding 300 kilometers per hour, tearing roofs off buildings and flattening homes built with light materials.
The President, accompanied by key cabinet members, announced that food packs were being distributed to evacuees and displaced families, each box containing enough supplies to sustain a household for three days.
The chief executive pledged that food assistance would continue without interruption, and the government would eventually help farmers and fisherfolk rebuild their livelihoods.
Cash aid was also being distributed to residents under the Department of Labor and Employment’s emergency assistance program.
The President addressed the urgent need to rebuild homes and public infrastructure. He revealed plans to provide construction materials, including roofing sheets, lumber, nails, and tools, to families whose homes were partially or fully destroyed.
Financial assistance will also be given to those undertaking reconstruction.
During the visit, Mr. Marcos also presided over a meeting involving local government officials and the heads of concerned government agencies, reviewing damage reports and assessing the progress of relief operations.
Typhoons ‘Nika,’ ‘Ofel,’ and ‘Pepito’ affected some 1.8 million people nationwide, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDDRMC) latest damage tally.
In the latest situation report, the disaster agency said some 453,809 individuals or 115,000 families are currently sheltered in 3,267 evacuation centers nationwide, while 163,527 are staying elsewhere.
The cyclones also caused P469 million worth of damage to infrastructure and P8.6 million in damage to agriculture, it was also reported.
They also partially damaged 10,234 houses and totally damaged 1,525 houses across five regions.
Fifty roads and 24 bridges are still not passable as of Tuesday.
Twenty cities and municipalities in Luzon have declared states of calamity in the aftermath of the tropical cyclones.
Department of Social Welfare and Development Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the government has distributed 400,000 family food packs worth P125 million in areas affected by the three consecutive typhoons, with some 1.3 million family food packs prepositioned in various warehouses.
Meanwhile, just as the people of Cagayan province were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief, floodwaters reaching more than four meters high swamped thousands of houses in the storm-battered northern Philippines on Tuesday after rivers overflowed following heavy rain and a dam release.
‘Pepito’ drenched swaths of the Philippines over the weekend, swelling the Cagayan River and tributaries, and forcing the release of water from Magat Dam.
The Cagayan broke its banks, spilling water over already sodden farmland and communities, affecting tens of thousands of people.
Buildings, lamp posts and trees poked through a lake of brown water in Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province where provincial disaster official Ian Valdepenas said floodwaters reached more than four meters (14 feet) in some places.
“We experienced very heavy rains two days ago, but the flood just started to rise when Magat Dam started releasing huge volumes of water,” Valdepenas told AFP.
“Plus, our land is already saturated because of the consecutive typhoons hitting the area.” With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos vows to help Catanduanes recover from wrath of ‘Pepito’”
