President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide immediate assistance for farmers and fisherfolk affected by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon (habagat) in Central Luzon.

Marcos stressed the need for the province's prompt help to farmers so they “can catch up for this year’s cropping season.”

“I instructed DA to try to catch up for this planting season so that farmers won’t lose their livelihood,” Marcos said when presided over a situation briefing with local chief executives of the provinces of Bulacan, Bataan, and Pampanga on Saturday in Malolos City.

Marcos also ordered the fast-tracking of assessment on the agricultural and infrastructural damages brought by the typhoon. 

“The region’s livestock sector can still catch up; the DA has to determine priority areas,” he noted. 

Marcos said the assessment results would allow DA to provide necessary assistance for farmers, fisherfolk, and raisers, including the distribution of seedlings, fingerlings, and brood sows needed for agriculture in the area to recover. 

“We will work on that, that’s the priority as of now,” Marcos said.

Citing the province’s report, Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando said damages, particularly in agriculture and fisheries, already reached P103.7 million. 

Among the severely affected products were palay (rice grains) vegetables, corn, plantation crops, aquaculture, capture fisheries, livestock, and poultry.

At least 17 local government units in Bulacan were hit hard by the onslaught of typhoon and habagat.

Cities of Meycauayan and Malolos as well as eight municipalities of Marilao, Calumpit, Santa Maria, Obando, Hagonoy, Guiguinto, and Balagtas have experienced severe flooding after pouring heavy rains. 

Fernando lamented at least 492,932 families were affected in the entire province, with casualties recorded.

While at least 13,021 families, or 48,000 individuals, were relocated to 318 evacuation centers.