A total of P360 million in Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) is set to be released by the government to assist communities heavily affected by Severe Tropical Storm Crising and the intensified southwest monsoon, which continue to bring torrential rains and cause massive flooding across several provinces, including Metro Manila.
The budget will be divided into 36 congressional districts, each receiving a whopping P10 million from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, according to former Speaker Martin Romualdez — poised to be reelected as the House’s top leader — on Tuesday.
The allocation is intended to provide financial assistance for typhoon-stricken families and residents affected by the devastating flooding — resulting in displacement and other related emergencies — triggered by the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) that has drenched the metro and nearby provinces in recent days.
The district beneficiaries include Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Mandaluyong, Navotas, Valenzuela, Taguig, Makati, Pasig, Parañaque, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, and Palawan.
“This is just the beginning of our coordinated disaster response. This help will go a long way, and it isn’t the last yet,” Romualdez said. “What is important is that we immediately feel the assistance from the Marcos administration.”
The persistent heavy rains pounding parts of Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon have prompted class suspensions and government work as several roads have become impassable. Communities in these areas are inundated with severe flooding, with incidents of deadly landslides also recorded in some parts of Cebu.
Raging floodwaters caused by “Crising” destroyed 49 houses in Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, and Negros Island Region, while several stilt houses in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, were swept away, displacing over 200 families.
State weather bureau PAGASA warned to brace for more intense downpours and flooding after spotting two low-pressure areas that may develop into a tropical cyclone.
As of early Tuesday, at least 362,465 families, or equivalent to 1,266,322 individuals, have been severely impacted by the aftermath of “Crising,” coupled with enhanced southwest monsoon, and the developing LPA, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The continued weather disturbances saw six people dead, two of whom were hit by a falling tree in Barangay Poblacion in Mambajao, Camiguin, and Barangay Matin-ao in Mainit, Surigao del Norte. The death toll, however, may still climb as rescue operations continue.
At least five people, meanwhile, are reported missing.