Now that “Pepito” the storm has dissipated, the government can begin rebuilding after the damage left by super typhoon “Kristine,” or the collective “KLMNOP storms,” according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

In an interview with Palace reporters on Monday, Marcos called on Filipinos to remember the typhoon victims, especially as the holiday season approaches.

“Hopefully, when Christmas comes, we Filipinos will remember our countrymen who were, in some way, devastated,” he said. “And somehow, we share what we have for Christmas. It’s unfortunate that they are suffering now.”

As of 18 November, there were 295,576 storm-affected families, or 1,145,942 persons, across six regions, 27 provinces, and 269 localities. Since the successive storms hit the country, more than half a million Filipinos have been displaced.

The government is still assessing the extent of the damage caused by typhoon “Pepito” to infrastructure, agriculture and the economy.

Marcos assured that the national government will continue to assist those affected by the six storms.

“I’m sure they are exhausted. I am sure they have done — and continue to do — the best they can. That’s why we are grateful to them,” he said.

As a precaution, preemptive evacuations were conducted in areas where “Pepito” was forecast to pass, with around 695,000 individuals in six regions evacuated to safer locations.

“We monitored the path of the storm and, at least, with Pepito’s strength, it wasn’t as bad as we feared,” the President noted.

Marcos said government agencies will now focus on relief efforts, including preparing hot meals and providing clean water to the families displaced by the storms.

Pepito, the second consecutive super typhoon to hit the country, left a trail of destruction over the weekend.

In Aurora, where the typhoon made its second landfall last Sunday afternoon, several roads across the coastal province remained impassable due to overflowing riverbanks, fallen debris and landslides.

According to the situational report from the local government of Aurora, a total of 6,903 families, or 20,298 individuals, were evacuated in the municipalities of Baler, Casiguran, Dilasag, Dingalan, Dinalungan, Dipaculao, Maria Aurora and San Luis.

A section of the Baler-Casiguran road in the town of Dinalungan was impassable to all types of vehicles.

Telecommunication lines of both Smart and Globe remained unstable throughout the province. A total of 910 houses were damaged, with 43 homes affected in the towns of Casiguran and Dilasag.

In the nearby province of Nueva Vizcaya, barangay captain Francisco Eugenio Bayatan of Bagabag shared photos online of cows that had died in his area, likely due to drowning.