Marcos wants repair of infra in Antique prioritized for unhampered delivery of goods

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wants immediate rehabilitation of the infrastructures damaged due to Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in Antique.

At a situation briefing in the province on Tuesday, Marcos said he noticed that infrastructure was the biggest problem, noting that it has to be fixed to ensure unhampered delivery of goods and services to residents.

“I think the biggest problem that I see is the infra that we have to fix kasi malalaki ang sira. The two bridges… For the public works, siguro unahin natin as a priority to find a way first for people to be able to transport goods and people,” Marcos said.

(I think the biggest problem that I see is the infrastructure that we have to fix because the extent of damage was huge. The two bridges… For the public works, let us prioritize finding a way for people to be able to transport goods and people.)

“Basta mabuksan somehow. Unahin natin baka light lang muna, mga motorsiklo lang muna pero eventually we want really to get even the trucks na nakakadaan. So ‘yun ang, if you say that the two spans, you will be able to… ma-remedyuhan niyo ‘yan by December then that’s good as we can hope for,” he added.

(Let us slightly open so that initially light vehicles, such as motorcycles, could pass but eventually, we want trucks to pass as well... If you can remedy that by December, then that's good as we can hope for.)

Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao earlier said the province has been facing a shortage in fuel products as it was isolated from its neighboring provinces because of the destruction of major bridges.

She said bridges connecting Antique to Aklan and Iloilo were destroyed by floods caused by Paeng.

Aside from his order to repair damaged bridges, Marcos mentioned the importance of preemptive evacuation in times of disasters to avoid casualties.

“I’ve seen it happening around the Philippines na pagka maayos ang preemptive evacuation at naka-ready ‘yung mga evacuation center nationwide, then ma-minimize natin ang casualty,” he said.

(I’ve seen it happening around the Philippines that if preemptive evacuation was properly enforced and if evacuation centers nationwide are ready, then we could minimize the number of casualties.)

Marcos conducted an aerial inspection of areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Paeng (international name: Nalgae) in Antique. The province was among those severely hit by Paeng as it battered the country early this month.

The President also led the distribution of various government assistance to beneficiaries in San Jose de Buenavista.

"Nag-ikot kami ng helicopter. Tiningnan namin kung ano ang mga nasira, 'yung mga tulay, at gagawin namin kaagad lahat para eh mabalik, magamit man lang para naman matuloy ang pag-deliver, matuloy ang hanapbuhay at makabalik na naman tayo sa normal bago tayo nagkabagyo ng ganito," Marcos said in his message to the victims of Paeng.

(We conducted an aerial inspection through a helicopter. We checked the damage, the bridges, and we will do everything to fix the damage so we could use them again to continue delivery of services, employment and for us to return to normalcy.)

The Palace said recipients from various municipalities each received financial aid worth P5,000.

Food packages as well as sleeping and hygiene kits were also distributed to the beneficiaries. Meanwhile, around 100 beneficiaries received livelihood grants under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD's) Sustainable Assistance Program.

The death toll due to Paeng rose from 156 to 158, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Tuesday.

A total of 4,840,956 people or 1,321,449 families in 9,795 barangays across all regions were affected by Paeng.

At least 53,210 houses were damaged—48,236 partially and 4,974 totally.

Damage to agriculture worth P2.989 billion and damage to infrastructure worth P4.514 billion were also reported due to the impact of Paeng. —KG, GMA Integrated News