Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
October 23, 2016
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte distributed relief goods and shelter assistance to the families in Tuguegarao City as part of the ongoing government rehabilitation efforts in Cagayan Province on the aftermath of Super Typhoon Lawin.
With the international name Haima, Super Typhoon Lawin made its initial landfall in Peñablanca, Cagayan on October 19 (Wednesday), with maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness soaring to 315 kph. This is the first time that state weather bureau PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) raised public storm signal no. 5 over six provinces covering Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao, Northern Abra, and Ilocos Norte.
Around 23,000 families that comprise 81,072 individuals were left devastated by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Lawin that left them homeless and without food. Currently, efforts are in full swing to restore the damages caused by the super typhoon to the province, such as in Tuguegarao City.
President Duterte ordered the immediate and equal distribution of assistance, instructing the different government agencies to respond quickly. He particularly called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to assist the affected farmers in restoring a more mechanized farming.
“Irerestore namin iyong financing sa agriculture. Mag-kooperatiba kayo ulit. At sana naman ilagay ninyo iyong mga tao kasi I warn you, there are a few success stories about financing,” he said.
According to the President, the agriculture sector in Tuguegarao City would receive an immediate assistance of PhP 2,240,000 worth of bags of rice and rice seeds. Likewise, the local government unit (LGU) of Cagayan would receive around PhP 32,000,000 in agricultural assistance comprising of rice and corn seeds, and various vegetable seedlings.
As of the latest, the initial damage to the agriculture, as well as to the infrastructure in Tuguegarao City now soars to an estimate amount of PhP 1 billion. However, there were no reported cases of death in the city.
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