Marcos declares state of national calamity due to successive typhoons

As the country is both reeling from the effects of Tino (Kalmaegi) and bracing for the next storm, Uwan (Fung-Wong).

In his message on Thursday, November 6, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that he has approved the declaration of a state of national calamity, as proposed by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

That is due to the devastation brought by Typhoon Tino in several regions and the preparation for the incoming typhoon, Uwan, which is forecast to be hitting areas in Northern Luzon.

The President, who spoke after a briefing in Quezon City, said, “Mabigat talaga ang pagkatama sa Cebu. Actually, Regions VI, VII, VIII, MIMAROPA, umabot sa Negros Island Region dahil tumawid ang Tino – the damage is heavy.”

PBBM also noted that the government’s rescue and relief efforts is continuing for all those affected by Tino, while preparing for Uwan.

He continued, “And so, we are doing our usual relief and support activities para lahat nung mga na-displace, lahat nung naging biktima, ay matutulungan ng pamahalaan, together with national government, together with the first responders, of course, the LGUs.”

It was due to the gravity of the situation, particularly the prior storm hitting multiple regions, that Marcos decided to implement the state of national emergency.

He said that 10 to 12 regions are expected to be affected by the back-to-back typhoons. “So, pagka ganoon karami, ganoon ang scope, then we really have to, then it is a national calamity.”

According to the Palace, the declaration of a state of national calamity will “accelerate the government’s and the private sector’s rescue, recovery, relief, and rehabilitation efforts,” as well as “facilitate the use of calamity funds in affected areas.“

The President furthered, “That gives us quicker access to some of the emergency funds. Secondly, mapapabilis ang ating procurement so that we don’t have to go to the usual bureaucratic procedures and we can immediately provide assistance to the victims.”

Following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, the Office of the President (OP) has allocated a total of PGP760 million in funding to the affected local government units in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Marcos also told that the government is evaluating the deployment of personnel to cover ongoing rescue and relief operations in the affected areas of Typhoon Tino and prepare for the impact of Typhoon Uwan in Northern Luzon.

“Kaya’t ‘yun ang aming binabalanse. Siyempre, hindi namin iiwanan ang Cebu hangga’t lahat na ay in place na. But we will do as much as we can to anticipate – if we anticipate well and we prepare well, marami tayong nagagawa para medyo mas mabawasan ang effect,” added the President.

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