By Brian Campued
As part of the administration’s commitment to supporting the recovery of communities devastated by recent calamities, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited Negros Occidental on Saturday to inspect Typhoon Tino’s (international name: Kalmaegi) impact on the province.
In a news release, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Marcos Jr. personally assessed the damages caused by Tino in the municipalities of Moises Padilla and La Castellana—where many areas were flooded after the typhoon struck on Nov. 4.
At the Jose Pepito Montilla Garcia Sr. National High School in Barangay 1 (Old Stock Yard), Moises Padilla, the President saw the damaged classrooms, which forced teachers and students to resort to alternative delivery modes to ensure learning continuity.
The Chief Executive also visited Barangay Poblacion to check on the situation of affected residents and assess several damaged houses.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr. visited the 307 families or about 1,117 individuals currently taking shelter at the La Castellana Elementary School.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office – Negros Island Region (NIR), also extended emergency cash assistance amounting to P10,000 each to 140 families with totally-damaged houses and P5,000 each to 204 families with partially-damaged houses.
The DSWD NIR is also continuously distributing family food packs and other relief items to affected communities in the Negros Occidental.
Marcos also proceeded to Barangay Robles, La Castellana to inspect the Bungahin Steel Bridge that collapsed during the onslaught of Tino.
Following the site inspections, the Chief Executive led a situation briefing at the La Castellana Municipal Hall with Cabinet members as well as local government officials to discuss various efforts to ensure swift rehabilitation of affected areas in the province.
The national government has so far allocated P95 million for the recovery efforts in Negros Occidental—P50 million for the provincial government; P10 million each for La Castellana, Moises Padilla, and La Carlota City; and P5 million each for the municipalities of Binalbagan, Isabela, and Hinigaran.
The President previously declared a State of National Calamity as the country reels from the destruction inflicted by Tino and Super Typhoon Uwan—highlighting the whole-of-government approach in addressing the immediate needs of disaster-hit communities.
-jpv
