President Marcos assured officials and residents in the Caraga region on Friday of continued government support for families affected by flooding from rains due to the recent low-pressure area and shear line, prioritizing access to medicine and clean water.
During a situation briefing in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, the President emphasized immediate response as he tasked local government units and national agencies to distribute aid to evacuation centers across the region.
Mr. Marcos also acknowledged the need for long-term solutions to address the region’s water scarcity, particularly in areas still submerged by floods.
This developed as 92 bodies, including body parts, have been recovered from the landslide in Maco, Davao de Oro, according to the municipal government.
In an update as of Thursday night, the Maco government said 36 people were still missing. At least 32 injured people have been rescued, it added.
The landslide happened on Feb. 6 across four barangays, buryinghouses, a barangay hall, and the terminal of a bus company serving a nearby mine.
President Marcos also ordered to fast-track the assessment and repair of the earthquake-stricken Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration’s (PAGASA) building in Agusan del Sur.
Mr. Marcos instructed Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan to prioritize the structural assessment of the facility, citing its importance to weather forecasting in the region.
The President and Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. also distributed farm inputs and other assistance to farmers in Caraga who were affected by the recent weather disturbances.
Some 16,521 farmers from Caraga and Davao received more than P16 million worth of rice, corn, and vegetable seeds, as well as concessional loans.
Based on field reports, their livelihoods were severely affected by recent heavy rains, flooding caused by the northeast monsoon, the shear line it stoked, and the trough of a low-pressure area.
The DA regional office in Caraga already delivered P3.2 million worth of rice and assorted vegetable seeds, and rodenticides to the Provincial Agricultural Office of Agusan del Sur to help farmers quickly recover from the damage caused by the weather disturbances.
Caraga is an administrative region that includes the provinces of Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.
The DA-RFO in Davao has readied P13.4 million worth of rice, corn, and vegetable seeds to distribute to affected farmers.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa also reported to Mr. Marcos the release of quick response funds to Caraga’s regional office.
Medicines, water purification tablets, and a water bladder were already deployed to address sanitation and hygiene needs and prevent waterborne diseases.
“We’ll continue to provide what we can, but we must have a longer term, a more extended solution and what we usually do in other places is we deliver water purification systems, some of which come from the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority),” President Marcos said.
“But that seems to be a practical stopgap measure in terms of providing water supply because as we all know that’s going to be critical,” he added, noting that it may also be practical to lend some of the machines for Caraga.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos confirmed the availability of 15 water purification machines in Metro Manila, which could be sent to Caraga. He highlighted the machines’ capacity to produce 185 gallons of clean water per hour, emphasizing the urgency of their deployment. With Vince Lopez