President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. went to Bicol on Wednesday to distribute aid for families affected by the onslaught of severe tropical storm “Kristine”.

He first made a visit in Camarines Sur where he handed over P50 million from the Office of the President.

“The Office of the President has allocated 50 million pesos, which will be distributed by the DSWD, to those affected by the typhoon,",” he said.

“I hope that with the help and support we are giving you now, you will be able to get back on your feet.,” he added.

For the province, more than 3,000 beneficiaries from fifteen municipalities will receive the aid.

Marcos also stopped over in Albay where he also distributed P50 million worth of financial assistance.

He said that the aid will cover three cities and 15 municipalities in Albay.

Each beneficiaries received P10,000 to help them in recovering from “Kristine”.

“Through this, we offer 10 thousand pesos each to farmers enabling them to reestablish and grow their livelihoods.,” he said.

Additional aid from DA, TESDA

Apart from assistance from the President, The Department of Agriculture also extended P247,442.25 in crop insurance payments to 10 farmers affected by super typhoon “Julian” in Camarines Sur. “Julian” was the storm that hit the area before “Kristine”.

The DA said that the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. is processing the insurance payments for farmers affected by STS “Kristine”.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has also provided a Training Support Fund of P3.4 million to 1,1162 beneficiaries in Albay.

Bicol River Basin project

Marcos also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways to revisit the Bicol River Basin Development Program.

He mentioned that the master plan for the project as well as the feasibility study have been completed in July.

“Currently, we are carrying out what is called Detailed Engineering Design. This means that we are actually designing and this is no longer just a concept, but actually drawing what we will build. And we expect this project to start next year,” Marcos said.

Construction for the river basin is set to begin in the first quarter of 2025.

“If we complete this project, there will be less flooding; and second, if there is flooding, the water will drain out faster so that we can help all those affected immediately,” Marcos added.