President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday visited Tiwi, one of the hard-hit towns in Albay, to check on the condition of residents displaced by Super Typhoon Uwan.
The President personally went to the Cacarayan-Naga Elementary School and held a situation briefing with Cabinet secretaries and local officials, led by Albay Gov. Noel Rosal, after inspecting damaged classrooms.
“The government is here, we are here to help the LGUs, we are here to help the people and as I always promised to areas that have been hit by calamities is that the national government is here for as long as you need us, habang kailangan niyo kami rito, andito kami (for as long as you need us here, we are here),” the President said.
According to the Albay Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, many homes in the town had been damaged, livelihoods disrupted and essential services affected.
Marcos ordered to fast-track relief efforts and ensure that help reaches the most vulnerable residents without delay.
He also wanted to ensure that the price freeze is being implemented in all provinces in the Bicol Region as the country is under a state of national calamity.
“There’s a price freeze on all goods, so please make sure that is being implemented, to our LGUs [local government units], inspect the supermarket that they are implementing the price freeze,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President distributed 343 school bags and two units of Starlink through the Department of Information and Communications Technology, intended for Cararay-Naga Elementary School and Tiwi Central School.
The OP also provided snacks for the learners and the beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Geraldine Pongan, principal of Cararayan-Naga Elementary School thanked the President for the time and effort to visit their school.
Uwan damaged 15 classrooms, of which seven sustained major damage and eight with minor damage, amounting to almost PHP4 million. She said about 869 students and 35 teaching and non-teaching staff members had been affected.
“I am overwhelmed by the presence of the president since we know how busy he is but then he finds ways to visit us, so thank you so much Mr. President for the promise to prioritize the repair of the classrooms,” she said.
Pongan said the school holds a shifting of class schedules and merging of grade levels to ensure the continued learning of students.
Meanwhile, Rosal said the President’s visit was an opportunity for Albayanons to air their needs.
“We know Albay, or Bicol, is always hit by different tropical cyclones, and last Super Typhoon Uwan we had Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 4. So we chose Tiwi because it’s part of the five local areas declared as TCWS No. 4. We’ll report the damage, especially the power, which we are now doing everything to restore. So, to this date, it’s only 52 to 55 percent,” he said. “The fact that the [national] government is supporting us is what matters now,” he added.
Rosal said the agriculture industry is one of his top priorities in rehabilitation and recovery. (PNA)
