Gov’t rolls out over P70-million aid in Marce-ravaged Ilocos Norte

FLOODED FARMS. Rice and corn farms and low-lying villages in Allacapan, Cagayan remain submerged on Nov. 8, 2024 after Typhoon Marce dumped heavy rains that caused widespread flooding in the province. — Photo courtesy of Allacapan Mayor Harry Florida.

MANILA, Philippines — The government has distributed over P70 million worth of livelihood and financial assistance to residents affected by Typhoon Marce (international name: Yinxing) in Ilocos Norte, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

In a statement on Sunday, the PCO said P50 million came from the Office of the President, while P20 million came from the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program.

READ: 1 dead due to Marce, over 261,000 persons affected – NDRRMC

The distribution was held at the Pagudpud Cultural and Sports Complex. It was led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also inspected the seawall and a school damaged by the typhoon.

Based on the latest National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDRRMC) report, 9,340 individuals, or 2,903 families, were affected by Marce in Ilocos Norte. Of this figure, 540 families, or 1,635 individuals, were in the evacuation centers.

Nationwide, Marce has affected 261,787 individuals, or 76,622 families, and reportedly killed one individual in Claveria in Cagayan.

A separate report from the Office of the Civil Defense revealed that the lifeless body of a 12-year-old female was “retrieved inside a damaged house in Centro 6, Claveria.”

Meanwhile, one person went missing while another one was injured in a river in Bantay, Ilocos Sur.

“The bamboo raft they were onboard capsized and the strong water current caused by tropical cyclone Marce drifted them away,” the NDRRMC said.