Statement of Malacañang over Cash Assistance for Typhoon Victims w/ Damaged Homes
Malacañang defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from the criticisms against the P5K and P10K initial cash aid for the typhoon victims.
Marcos Jr. declared a national state of calamity in the Philippines due to typhoon Tino and super typhoon “Uwan”. Tino which entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) first left countless Filipino families homeless and it also took a lot of lives.
Over 200 people died due to Typhoon Tino that brought heavy rains in the provinces of Cebu and Negros. The typhoon caused massive flooding that many residents in the Visayas region had to climb their roof to evade the rising floodwater.
The floodwater in Cebu reached the roof of the single-storey houses. A lot of residents had to forcibly destroy their ceilings and roof so they can go up for their safety. A lot of individuals are still missing and the search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Amid the devastating situation in Cebu, Malacañang claimed that Marcos Jr. is also angry over the massive flooding in the province. The remarks of Palace press officer undersecretary Claire Castro came after Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro claimed that the flood control projects in the province since 2019 are either ghost or substandard.
Cebu Gov. Pam Baricuatro stressed that P26 billion flood control funds were given to the province but still they were flooded. Marcos Jr. personally visited the province. He also apologized to the flood victims and assured them of government’s help as they recover from the impact of the calamity.
The President announced that a P5,000 cash aid will be given to typhoon victims with partially-damaged houses while those whose homes got completely destroyed will get P10,000. However, the said assistance from the government earned criticisms.
Malacañang press officer undersecretary Claire Castro recently defended Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from the criticisms over the P5k and P10k cash aid for the typhoon victims. Based on a post of ABS-CBN News on YouTube, during a press conference, the Palace official claimed that there is no need to criticize the assistance as it is an initial aid.
Atty. Claire Castro also said that the amounts were the same cash assistance allegedly given by the previous administration. During the press con, the Malacañang press official also stressed that the President already gave a huge amount for the areas affected by the calamity.
“Hindi po kailangan batikusin dahil nung nakaraang administrasyon ganyan din po ang halaga na binigay na paunang tulong. Ito ay paunang tulong. Tandaan po natin ang Pangulo po ay nagbigay na po ng 760 million sa mga apektado na lugar na sinalanta ng Bagyong Tino at ang pagbigay po na’to ay pansamantala pong ibinibigay sa ating mga kababayan para mayroon po silang panggastos,” she said.
During the press con, the Malacañang press official stressed that the help for the typhoon victims is “ongoing”. According to her, the help will not end with the cash assistance given.
Following the massive flooding in several areas in the Philippines, actor Romnick Sarmenta claimed that Marcos Jr. is allegedly not the only one at fault over the flood control issue.