SOUTH COTABATO -- The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed an additional 20 million pesos in financial assistance to rehabilitate communities damaged by earthquakes in South Cotabato.

The Office of the Special Assistant to the President announced the funding Saturday during the culmination of the province's 60th founding anniversary and the 27th T’nalak Festival.

Agriculture Undersecretary Athalia B. Leong, representing Special Assistant to the President Secretary Anton Lagdameo, said the funding was successfully secured through the joint efforts of Lagdameo's office, South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo, and House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez, who worked directly with Marcos to approve the relief.

Leong stressed that the supplementary aid reflects the Marcos administration's ongoing commitment to local government units and communities recovering from natural disasters.

"The national government will add P20 million in additional assistance for earthquake victims in the province," Leong said.

She added that Lagdameo's office considers South Cotabato a vital partner in improving public service delivery, which prompted the swift coordination with Malacañang to extend aid to displaced residents.

The aid announcement coincided with the province's landmark anniversary celebration.

Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, who also attended the festivities, stressed the need for continued regional cooperation and likened the woven T’nalak cloth to the collective strength of Mindanao.

"This is also the story of South Cotabato, the story we aspire to write across Mindanao," Macacua said, expressing hope that the partnerships forged under the current administration would endure for future generations.

The fresh P20 million allocation boosts the national government's total disaster response footprint in the province as Marcos continues to prioritize localized calamity rehabilitation.