President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday approved the declaration of a state of national calamity due to the devastation caused by Typhoon Tino in several regions, and the impact of another incoming powerful typhoon.
President Marcos approved the proposal of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to declare a state of calamity, during a situation briefing held at the NDRRMC headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The President said the government is continuing rescue and relief efforts for all those affected by Typhoon Tino, while preparing for Typhoon Uwan.
“Mabigat talaga ang pagkatama sa Cebu. Actually, Regions VI, VII, VIII, MIMAROPA, umabot sa Negros Island Region dahil tumawid ang Tino – the damage is heavy,” President Marcos said in a media interview after the briefing.
“And so, we are doing our usual relief and support activities para lahat nung mga na-displace, lahat nung naging biktima, ay matutulungan ng pamahalaan, together with national government, together with the first responders, of course, the LGUs.”
“Because of the scope of, shall we say, problem areas that has been hit by Tino and will be hit by Uwan, there was a proposal from the NDRRMC, which I approved, that we will declare a national calamity because ilang regions na ‘yan,” President Marcos continued.
President Marcos said 10 to 12 regions are expected to be affected by the twin typhoons. “So, pagka ganoon karami, ganoon ang scope, then we really have to, then it is a national calamity.”
The declaration of a state of national calamity will accelerate the government’s and the private sector’s rescue, recovery, relief, and rehabilitation efforts. The declaration will also facilitate the use of calamity funds in affected areas.
“That gives us quicker access to some of the emergency funds. Secondly, mapapabilis ang ating procurement so that we don’t have to go to the usual bureaucratic procedures and we can immediately provide assistance to the victims,” President Marcos said.
Following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, the Office of the President (OP) has provided a total of PhP760 million in financial assistance to the affected local government units: P50 million each for the provinces of Cebu, Capiz, Surigao del Norte, Iloilo, Bohol, and Negros Occidental; PhP40 million each for Eastern Samar, Surigao del Sur, Southern Leyte, Antique, and Aklan; P30 million each for Leyte and Masbate; PhP20 million each for Guimaras, Agusan del Norte, and Dinagat Islands; PhP10 million each for Biliran, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Misamis Oriental, Negros Oriental, and Palawan; and P5 million to Albay, Romblon, Batangas, Northern Samar, Siquijor, Quezon, Samar, Agusan del Sur, Laguna, Zamboanga City, City of Manila (due to stranded passengers), Camiguin, Occidental Mindoro, Camarines Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, and Iligan City.
President Marcos said the government is evaluating the deployment of personnel to cover ongoing rescue and relief operations in the Typhoon Tino-affected areas and prepare for the impact of Typhoon Uwan in Northern Luzon.
“Kaya’t ‘yun ang aming binabalanse. Siyempre, hindi namin iiwanan ang Cebu hangga’t lahat na ay in place na. But we will do as much as we can to anticipate – if we anticipate well and we prepare well, marami tayong nagagawa para medyo mas mabawasan ang effect,” said the President. (PR)
