MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos brought various forms of assistance to areas hit by Typhoon Marce in Cagayan and his home province of Ilocos Norte yesterday, assuring the provinces of continuous support from the national government for their recovery needs.
In the morning, the President was accompanied by his sons Simon and Vincent and several Cabinet secretaries in Buguey, Cagayan in the distribution of aid.
“Expect that as long as there is a need – what we do is, we do not say after one week, we will leave; after five days, we are leaving. As long as you need us here, we will stay here,” the President said in a speech at the Doña Isabel Gymnasium in Buguey.
Also joining the President were Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo and Katrina Ponce Enrile, administrator and chief executive officer of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.
Marcos ordered the immediate repair of school buildings and other infrastructure, and vowed to support the seafood industry in the province.
Buguey is considered the crab capital of North Luzon.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), meanwhile, distributed 1,800 food packs, while the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the National Irrigation Administration turned over 200 packs of 5-kilogram rice and 20 boxes of sardines and 1,000 packs of 10 kg rice, respectively.
The Department of Agriculture also handed over P866.3 million in various interventions to farmers composed of hybrid rice seeds, fertilizer discount, vegetable seeds, native chickens and ducks.
Marcos handed over P10 million each to the local executives of Aparri, Buguey, Sanchez-Mira, Santa Teresita, Baggao, Gattaran, Gonzaga and Santa Ana.
Marce made landfall over Santa Ana, Cagayan on Nov. 7, uprooting trees and ripping off parts of houses.
“The very good news that we have with the passage of Marce, in the entire Philippines we did not record any death, we have no casualty. It happened because people were evacuated quickly and early,” Marcos said in Filipino.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Marce affected a total of 15,518 families in Cagayan, with 6,395 of them staying in evacuation centers.
In the afternoon, the President inspected a seawall and a school damaged by Marce in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and led the distribution of aid at the Pagudpud Cultural and Sports Complex.
The President turned over P50 million in financial assistance from the Office of the President to Ilocos Norte Vice Gov. Cecillia Araneta-Marcos.
Marcos was also joined by his eldest son, Ilocos Norte First District Rep. Sandro Marcos.
The NDRRMC said 9,340 persons, or 2,903 families, were affected by Marce in Ilocos Norte. A total of 540 families or 1,635 persons are in evacuation centers.
Marce was the third tropical cyclone to hit the country in less than a month after Severe Tropical Storm Kristine and Super Typhoon Leon which left a combined 158 people dead, the NDRRMC said, with most of the that tally attributed to Kristine.
Meanwhile, First Lady Liza Marcos, accompanied by DSWD personnel, provided assistance to the victims of Kristine in Talisay, Batangas yesterday.
The DSWD, along with the Libreng Laboratoryo, Konsulta, at Gamot Para sa Lahat or LAB for ALL program of the First Lady, and DigiPlus Interactive provided food and non-food items to the families of the 61 people who died from the landslide and massive flood caused by Kristine in Batangas.
NFA rice stocks good for 7 daysNational Food Authority Administrator Larry Lacson said over the weekend that NFA rice stocks are good for seven days, as the agency was able to procure at least 4.8 million bags or at least 237,885 metric tons (MT) despite the devastation of successive typhoons in the country.
In a radio interview, Lacson said that the NFA targets to increase the rice stocks to nine days or 6.1 million bags of palay or 300,000 MT of rice.
“We can boast at the NFA that our buffer stocks are very stable for the first time in a decade. We have many stocks because of the programs we have implemented. Nationwide, our stocks are more than seven days to last. The entire Philippines can eat. When we assumed, our stocks were only good for one day, but now it is seven days and it is still increasing,” he said.
The national daily consumption rate is equivalent to 679,670 bags or 33tusk casino,983.5 MT, according to the NFA. — Artemio Dumlao, Bella Cariaso