P750-M aid bound for storm-battered Bicol region amid successive typhoons

The government will send out at least P750 million worth of humanitarian assistance, including monetary aid, to the storm-battered Bicol Region, which has yet to get back on its feet but was pounded anew by super typhoon Pepito (international name Man-Yi). 

At least 24 trucks loaded with relief goods are bound for Bicol on Monday to help over 150,000 residents following a series of typhoons, including severe tropical storm Kristine that wreaked havoc in the region in late October.

The initiative dubbed “Tabang Bikol, Tindog Oragon” was launched through the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in collaboration with the House of Representatives and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as well as private donors to deliver immediate relief to the most affected areas in the Bicol region. 

Financial assistance will be distributed as early as Monday, with other vital government services, including housing, healthcare, and livelihood programs, to follow on 21 November. 

"This is the directive of our dear President Marcos to help the victims of the typhoon in Bicol. This initiative is our way of showing that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our compatriots in Bicol during these challenging times," Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

Strong winds and heavy rainfalls brought about by “Pepito”—the sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in less than a month—smashed houses, caused towering tidal surges, displaced thousands of families, and knocked out power lines in Luzon, including in Catanduanes in the Bicol region and Aurora province in Quezon. 

“Pepito” made its landfall late Saturday in Catanduanes with sustained winds of 195 kilometers (125 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph. State weather bureau PAGASA had warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” in the region and nearby provinces. 

Provinces in the Bicol region were either placed on Signal No. 5 or 4.

As of Sunday afternoon, “Pepito”  made its second landfall in Aurora, Quezon, between 2 pm and 5 p.m. with maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph.

PAGASA has warned that a “high risk of storm surge” with a “life-threatening” inundation from rising sea water and high waves may occur within the next 48 hours in the low-lying coastal communities in Isabela, Aurora, Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Norte, and Camarines Sur.

Also at risk are Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, and Zambales, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Metro Manila,

Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Marinduque. 

The successive typhoons that slammed the Philippines in the past months not only forced thousands of families to evacuate their homes but also drained government resources. 

The DSWD had previously announced that the last five weather disturbances prior to “Pepito” nearly exhausted the agency’s quick response fund (QRF) for 2024 with the release of over P1 billion.

The agency was merely left with P100 million remaining in standby funds. The Department of Budget and Management, however, assured that it will replenish the DSWD’s QRF with P875 million in preparation for upcoming calamities.