By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured Filipinos that the national government will continue providing relief and other assistance to the areas severely affected by Typhoon Tino until they recover and their lives can finally go back to normal.
The President visited Liloan and Talisay City in Cebu on Friday to personally oversee the humanitarian operations following Tino’s onslaught, which already claimed the lives of 139 individuals in Cebu alone.
“We will be helping the families of those na naging casualty, we will help them to recover and put them back on their feet and do what we can to make up for the loss that they have suffered,” the Chief Executive said in a media statement following a situation briefing with Cabinet members and local government officials in Cebu City.
“As long as the national government is needed, we will be here—we are not leaving. Hangga’t maayos na ang inyong buhay at hindi niyo na kami kailangan para sa mga tulong na dinadala namin, then we will remain here.”
At the Tiltilon Elementary School in Barangay Cotcot, where 126 families have taken temporary refuge, Marcos led the distribution of family food packs (FFPs), hot meals, as well as health, hygiene, and sleeping kits from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian assured that there is sufficient supply of relief aid for affected families, with continuous repacking of FFPs and other food and non-food items to replenish stockpile.
According to Gatchalian, a total of 69,000 FFPs have been distributed to local government units (LGUs), including the hardest-hit cities such as Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Talisay City. Around 200,000 FFPs are expected to be distributed by Saturday.
“So, we assure all the local government units we will continue to augment para mabigay sa mga naging biktima,” he said.
Aside from the FFPS, the DSWD will also provide P5,000 cash assistance to families with partially damaged homes and P10,000 to those with totally damaged houses, depending on the results of the agency’s assessment.
“Naatasan niya (Pangulong Marcos Jr.) ang DSWD na pabilisin na rin ang payouts ng mga financial assistance… Hinihintay na lang natin ‘yung mga listahan mula sa ating mga local government units,” Gatchalian said.
“Makakaasa po tayo, na tulad ng instruction ng ating Pangulo, hindi kami aalis hanggang sa maibangon natin ulit ang mga naging biktima mula sa trahedya,” he added.
The Department of Health (DOH) is likewise conducting rapid health assessments and distributing essential medicines to ensure the safety and well-being of evacuees.
The President also directed the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to explore housing assistance for displaced families, noting that those in no-build zones must be relocated to safer places.
Upon assessment of the extent of the typhoon’s damage on Mananga Bridge in Talisay City, Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to immediately fix and restore the bridge that serves as a vital link along the Cebu South Coastal Road.
-jpv
