President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the distribution of aid to typhoon-hit residents of Nueva Vizcaya province on Friday. Handout photo 

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Friday led the distribution of government aid to Nueva Vizcaya, which was among the provinces hit hard by recent typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito.

The Philippine leader handed out a total of P50 million in financial assistance from the Office of the President at the Bambang Auditorium in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya.

This is on top of the P5,000 cash aid given to 500 beneficiaries under the Department of Social Welfare and Development's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.

Apart from the cash, 1,000 boxes of family food packs were also distributed to evacuees.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 8,168 families or 27,726 persons in Nueva Vizcaya were affected by recent typhoons.

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Of that number, 109 families or 385 individuals remain in evacuation centers, while 66 families or 282 individuals are staying in other temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, the recent supertyphoon Pepito left seven people dead, three injured from a landslide and one missing in Nueva Vizcaya.

It also left 284 houses destroyed and 2,540 damaged in its wake, according to Malacañang.

'Whole-of-government' approach to relief promised

In his speech, Marcos Jr assured evacuees of a whole-of-government approach to sustain the needs of residents affected by the typhoon until they are able to recover, including those whose homes were damaged or destroyed.

“Kaya po ito lahat ay pinagsasama-sama natin kasi ang aming gagawin ay mula ngayon, we will continue to distribute itong relief goods hanggang hindi na nangangailangan ang ating mga kababayan, ang mga tiga- Vizcaya,” Marcos Jr said.

(We have gathered everything together because, from today, we will continue to distribute relief goods as long as the people of Nueva Vizcaya need them)

“So, tuloy-tuloy ‘yan hangga’t makabalik na kayo sa inyong tinitirahan... at hanggang kaya na ninyong bumalik sa dati ninyong buhay.”

(That will continue until you can return to your homes)

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Marcos Jr says government agencies are assessing the damage to the province’s infrastructure and agricultural sector, and assured farmers that they will get assistance.

He also tasked local governments with compiling lists of residents who will be beneficiaries of aid for farmers.

Aside from cash aid to help tide them over, farmers will also get help with their crops.

"We will provide seedlings, we will provide fertilizer, we will provide all other inputs para naman makabalik kayo kaagad sa inyong ginagawa (so you can go back to your farming).”

The President also directed the public works department to prioritize the rehabilitation of roads and flood control projects In Nueva Vizcaya that were damaged in the recent typhon. 

He said work will also be done to strengthen infrastructure to help them withstand future storms.

According to Malacanang, a total of 77 road sections and 32 bridges in Nueva Vizcaya were damaged due to recent typhoons. This includes the Bambang Bypass Road, which Marcos Jr inspected on Friday morning.