Vows ‘whole-of-government’ approach to disaster recovery
President Marcos vowed to implement a whole-of-government strategy to expedite rehabilitation operations in communities across Northern Luzon that were devastated by a recent series of typhoons.
The chief executive made this promise on Sunday as he led the distribution of material assistance to storm-hit families in Buguey, Cagayan.
He assured displaced families of continuous government assistance until they could fully recover from the consecutive disasters.
“One department cannot do everything. So, what we do is what we call the whole-of-government approach. That means, all the different departments can somehow bring help and help to provide relief, to rescue our personnel, to provide relief,” he said.
Mr. Marcos handed over some P80 million worth of financial assistance to eight Cagayan municipalities that were hit hard by Typhoon ‘Marce.’
The towns of Aparri, Buguey, Sanchez-Mira, Santa Teresita, Baggao, Gattaran, Gonzaga, and Santa Ana each received P10 million, through their local chief executives.
“Here in Cagayan, what we should really look at is reconstruction. Because [while] public infrastructure, it’s okay, not so bad… But the private residences were [heavily] damaged. So, that’s what we’re going to focus on,” he noted.
The President said the government will not abandon victims until they fully recover from the typhoon’s effects.
He assured them that the aid provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will continue without letup while needed.
Mr. Marcos also stressed the importance of keeping evacuation centers and communication lines open.
It can be recalled that Typhoon ‘Marce’ made two landfalls in Cagayan—Santa Ana and Sanchez-Mira—on November 7 before leaving the Philippine area of responsibility the next day.
“As long as it is necessary, those who have been displaced whose house has been damaged, are homeless even if they are in an evacuation center or in the house of their relative or friend, we will still provide these relief goods. It continues until they return to their home,” the President said.
It was reported that the DSWD distributed 1,800 food packs; Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), 200 packs of 5kg rice and 20 boxes of sardines; and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), 1,000 packs of 10kg rice.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) handed over P866.3 million in various interventions to farmers composed of hybrid rice seeds, fertilizer discounts, vegetable seeds, native chickens, and ducks.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that ‘Marce’ affected a total of 15,58 families in Cagayan, 6,395 of them are sheltered at evacuation centers.
More than 3,000 families are still staying outside the evacuation centers.
‘Marce’ affected some 261,787 individuals, or 76,622 families, across the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
As this developed, the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that it had successfully delivered approximately 205 tons of vital supplies to the archipelagic province of Batanes, including food packs, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, construction materials, and other essential items to the province.
These supplies, sourced from various government agencies and non-governmental organizations, were transported to the province onboard BRP Davao del Sur (LD602), the Northern Luzon Command said in a statement.
