PBBM to DSWD, other agencies: Ensure aid for 'Aghon' victims
2024-May-28 13:40
AGHON'S FURY. Fallen trees cover parts of San Juan in Batangas province as Typhoon Aghon brought heavy rains and strong winds over most of Luzon on May 26, 2024. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., in a speech Tuesday (May 28, 2024), directed government agencies to ensure the continued provision of assistance and relief services to affected individuals. (PNA photo by Avito Dalan)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday directed the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government agencies to ensure the continued delivery of assistance and relief services to individuals affected by Typhoon Aghon.
Before leaving Manila for a two-day state visit to Brunei Darussalam, Marcos provided updates on government efforts after the onslaught of Aghon, which dampened most of Luzon.
He said Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas were among the hardest-hit areas by the typhoon.
He added that three airports and 29 seaports were rendered non-operational as Aghon was crossing Luzon.
Currently, six cities and municipalities are experiencing power outages while 13 flooding incidents and three rain-induced landslides were also recorded, Marcos reported.
So far, the DSWD has provided P1.35 million worth of assistance while P607.9 million is on standby.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine Coast Guard have prepared 841 search and rescue teams, while 465 transportation assets and 436 telecommunications equipment will be deployed to help typhoon victims.
"Kaya't tuluyan kong inatasan ang DSWD, ang DA (Department of Agriculture), DOH (Department of Health), para makapagbigay ng assistance sa lahat ng mga naging biktima ng Typhoon Aghon (With that, I am directing the DSWD, DA, and DOH to continue the provision of assistance to victims of Typhoon Aghon)," Marcos said.
He also tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation to immediately repair damaged infrastructures.
"Patuloy pa rin ang ating search at rescue efforts (Our search and rescue efforts continue)," he said.
1 confirmed dead
In its situation update on Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed one death and one injured due to the typhoon, both from Northern Mindanao.
The agency is also validating reports of seven injured in Bicol.
A total of 12,436 families, consisting of 36,143 individuals, have been affected by the weather disturbance.
Of this number, 4.076 families, or 16,426 individuals, are sheltering in 161 evacuation centers while 1,245 families, or 5,614 persons, are receiving aid outside evacuation centers.
The Office of Civil Defense earlier said affected families include those displaced and those not needing transfer or removal from their residence.
Meanwhile, 18 houses in Eastern Visayas were reported damaged, while four were wrecked. (PNA)