Tuguegarao City, Cagayan—President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to implement a whole-of-government strategy to expedite rehabilitation operations in typhoon-affected areas across Northern Luzon.
President Marcos issued this statement as he led aid distribution efforts from the national government on Sunday, Nov. 10, during his visit to Buguey, Cagayan. He assured residents present of continuous assistance until they fully recover from 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 thanked all government agencies as well as the private sector for extending timely assistance whenever a typhoon passes through the country. He urged them to keep all kinds of support coming while the affected communities rebuild their lives.
“Here in Cagayan, what we should really look at is the reconstruction because the one in… In the public infrastructure,it’s okay, not so bad. But the private residences—that’s it—were 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.
Mr. Marcos stressed on the importance of keeping evacuation centers and communication lines open. He mentioned that relief operations from both the national and local governments must continue until every affected town goes back to normal.
Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba thanked President Marcos for his support and for personally speaking with Typhoon Marce victims during his visit to the province. The provincial leader is hopeful they can fully recover from the recent spate of calamities.
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. The region sustained severe damage in its agriculture, public infrastructure, and housing sectors in the wake of the storm.
