MANILA, Philippines—Marikina City Hall employees still reeling from the devastation of Storm "Ondoy" (international codename Ketsana) got an advanced Christmas gift from the local government last week with the early release of their bonuses.

Over 2,000 regular and casual employees received half of their 13th-month pay and a cash gift of P2,500, city officials said.

In a statement, Mayor Marides Fernando said the advanced distribution of cash bonuses should give employees and their families, especially those affected by the storm, an opportunity to have a “bountiful holiday season.”

“They especially deserve to celebrate this Christmas after going through a catastrophic ordeal resulting from Tropical Storm Ondoy,” Fernando said.

Marikina was one of the worst hit by Ondoy’s record rainfall on Sept 26, which caused widespread floods and landslides that destroyed billions of pesos in property and killed dozens in the city alone.