CALAMITY UPDATE. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. presides over a situational briefing at the Ilocos Norte Capitol in Laoag City on Saturday (July 29, 2023). He also visited similarly Typhoon Egay-ravaged Bangued, Abra and proceeded to Tuguegarao City, Cagayan province. (PNA photo by Leilanie G. Adriano)
LAOAG CITY – Residents of storm-hit areas in Northern Luzon were boosted by the visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday, including in this city.
Typhoon Egay left more than PHP3.2 billion in estimated damage in Ilocos Norte, the hardest hit in the Ilocos Region.
After the distribution of various government assistance to typhoon victims, including in Abra, which he visited before coming here, Marcos sat down with officials to get an update on the actual status of Northern Luzon provinces and assured them of the national government’s expedited help.
He instructed all affected provinces to submit their reports to better plan the allocation of emergency assistance.
“For us to respond quickly, send us your report, even if it’s not complete yet so we know what to do,” he said during the briefing at the Ilocos Norte Capitol.
Because many schools and houses suffered significant damage, the President assured housing assistance in the form of cash and construction materials while roving medical teams will be sent to affected areas.
Health care workers from the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital were deployed to Batac City; Bangui District Hospital to the northern towns; Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital to Laoag, Bacarra and Pasuquin; and the Provincial Health Office to Sarrat, Vintar, and Piddig.
In anticipation of food and waterborne diseases, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc enjoined all municipalities and cities to organize cleanup teams that would get rid of stagnant water.
Senator Imee Marcos joined the President and pledged education assistance in cash and in kind.
“We will not allow the grave damage wrought by Egay to prevent a single Ilokano student from going to school,” she said.
La Union damage
Also at the briefing, La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David requested recovery assistance for agriculture and infrastructure.
She said they need more subsidies for damaged harvests, repair of agri-infrastructures, housing for typhoon victims, and additional relief packs.
"Priority is housing for typhoon victims but I also appeal to the Department of Social Welfare and Development to help us for the emergency shelter assistance for cash assistance for victims," David said.
She said they recorded PHP37.3 million in damage to agriculture and PHP295,000 in damage to infrastructure, while 845 houses were destroyed.
"There were two damaged health facilities in the province. One is in Caba town worth PHP2 million and one health center in Rosario town worth PHP736,000," she said.
Only three of the 17 affected road sections are passable.
"Mostly are inner roads and caused by erosion," David said.
She said the provincial government, local government units, and national government agencies have extended assistance amounting to PHP4.3 million.
Affected
Egay, which reached super typhoon category, and the southwest monsoon have affected 582,288 persons or 164,430 families, in 1,752 villages in different regions, according to the Office of Civil Defense on Saturday.
Among those preemptively evacuated were 17,179 persons or 3,398 families in 102 villages in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the National Capital Region.
There are also about 312 evacuation centers in different regions which are sheltering 15,851 persons or 4,531 families while 89 roads in the Cordillera, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Soccsksargen regions were damaged due to flooding, landslides and soil erosions. (PNA)
