SOME ₱360 million in Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) funds, along with family food packs and other relief items have been allocated for immediate distribution to 36 congressional districts severely affected by typhoon Crising and the intensified southwest monsoon or habagat.
The AKAP and relief assistance, facilitated through the office of Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, in coordination with the Tingog party-list, will be released by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
Each congressional district will receive ₱10 million in direct financial aid intended for residents displaced by the floods and other storm-related emergencies.
“This is just the beginning of our coordinated disaster response. This aid goes a long way and this is not the end. The important thing is for the people to feel the immediate assistance extended by the Marcos administration,” Romualdez said.
In addition to the financial aid, relief packs have been readied for mass distribution, including servings of Tingog hot meals for evacuees currently housed in schools, covered courts, and other temporary shelters.
“We want to convey to every affected Filipino family that in times of calamity, the government of President Marcos is here to help. All of these are reminders that you are not alone. We are with you every step of the way,” the lawmaker said in Filipino.
The 36 congressional districts set to benefit from the ₱360 million AKAP fund and related relief efforts included those represented by
Reps. Bienvenido Abante Jr., Tobias Tiangco, Dennis Almario, Dean Asistio, Arjo Atayde, Jorge Daniel Bocobo, Antonino Calixto, Joel Chua, Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar, Ricardo Cruz Jr., Ernesto Dionisio Jr., Edgar Erice, Jaime Fresnedi, Gerald Galang, Kenneth Gatchalian, Alexandria Gonzales, Monique Lagdameo, Giselle Maceda, Oscar Malapitan, Eric Olivarez, and Antolin Oreta III.
Reps. Franz Pumaren, Romero Quimbo, Roman Romulo, Mark Anthony Santos, Jesus Suntay, Marcy Teodoro, Irwin Tieng, Ralph Wendel Tulfo, Rolando Valeriano, Patrick Michael Vargas, Brian Raymund Yamsuan, Ysabel Maria Zamora, Gil Acosta, Jose Alvarez, and Rosalie Salvame.
Romualdez’s office and Tingog Party-list have also reactivated its Relief Coordination Desk, the same mechanism used to facilitate large-scale aid during the pandemic and previous typhoons. The desk serves as a central link between affected lawmakers, national agencies, and local responders.
In Marikina City, evacuees were served hot meals by Tingog volunteers, with more expected as river levels continued to rise.
Similar operations were conducted in Quezon City and Manila.
Romualdez said the proactive move to allocate AKAP funds and relief goods reflected hard-learned lessons from past disasters where delays in response had serious consequences. He stressed the importance of readiness and coordination.
Typhoon Crising brought days of torrential rains to Luzon and nearby provinces, overwhelming drainage systems, and displacing thousands of families. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) has warned of more rainfall in the coming days.
