President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (left) distributes relief goods to people affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in Noveleta, Cavite on Monday, October 31. Screengrab from RTVM Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is eyeing a long-term plan to deal with rain-induced landslides.
Marcos made the remark on Monday during the distribution of assistance to people affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (international name: Nalgae) in Noveleta, Cavite.
The president noted that flood control facilities and dikes have eroded.
“Yung inikot nga namin, ‘yung mga flood control natin, ‘yung mga dike natin, wala na, na-erode erode na.
(When we assessed the area, our flood control facilities and dikes had eroded.)
“Kaya ‘yun ang dapat nating tignan na magkakaroon tayo ng plano na long term para kahit na lumakas ang tubig nang husto ay hindi nagguguho ang lupa at hindi na tayo inaabutan ng mga landslide na ‘yun ang nagiging problema,” he said, speaking before the victims.
(That’s why it’s important to think about the long-term plan , so that when the rains come down hard the ground won’t disintegrate and trigger landslides.)
Marcos likewise highlighted the value of preemptive evacuation, saying that it kept casualties in Noveleta low.
“Ang pinaka-importante kapag alam nating may parating na bagyo ay mayroon tayong evacuation na preemptive.
(The most important thing when you know there is a tropical cyclone is preemptive evacuation.)
“Yan ang nangyari dito, sa aking palagay, kahit na ganyan ang laki ang kalamidad, hindi naman ganu’n kalaki ang bilang ng casualty. Ngunit ang damage sa infrastructure ay mabigat,” he pointed out.
(That is what happened here, that even though the calamity is strong, the casualty is not that high. But the damage to infrastructure is harsh.)
Marcos, over the weekend, mourned the high death toll of Paeng across the country, which is now at 98.
He asked why those individuals were not immediately evacuated.
Based on the latest government data, as many as 1.8 million individuals were displaced by Paeng.
Paeng is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday afternoon or evening.