President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally gave around P50 million on Wednesday in support of the emergency employment of thousands of families displaced by the Mayon Volcano's agitation in seven towns and cities in Albay.
The checks were presented by Marcos himself to the mayors of Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan, Malilipot, Santo Domingo, Ligao City, and Tabaco City.
The said money would help 5,016 households — a total of 17,941 people — in evacuation facilities.
The evacuees would be provided work through the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program, according to Ma. Zenaida Campita, director of the Department of Labor and Employment in the Bicol Region
The jobs include vegetable cultivation, assisting with evacuee meal preparation, and maintaining the evacuation sites.
Each worker would receive P365 every day for 30 days under the Tupad initiative.
During a situation briefing at the Albay Astrodome, Marcos said the national government should immediately take over providing assistance to evacuees rather than waiting until the province's and local government units' (LGUs') quick reaction funds are spent.
He stated that the Department of Science and Technology predicted that refugees within a 6-kilometer radius of the volcano could be forced to stay in shelters for "45 days to 90 days."
However, Marcos said if the crisis continues as projected, the government agencies are poised to assist evacuees.
Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman previously stated that the P30 million budget from the quick response would be valid for only 14 days.
According to Lagman, if the evacuees stayed in the evacuation locations for 90 days, the province would require P166,711,000 to meet its demands, which include food and non-food goods.
Marcos encouraged local leaders to identify the priority regions that needed immediate attention.
He also asked the relevant agencies to offer a source of income for the families and intervention programs for the children while they were inside the evacuation centers.
The President arrived at the Guinobatan Sports Complex after 4 p.m.
He promptly went to Guinobatan Community College in Barangay Mauraro — the temporary home for families from Barangay Maninila — to distribute humanitarian materials given by India, Thailand, and the UAE.
Meanwhile, through the efforts of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, 57 people from Barangay Baligang in Ligao City who were evacuated to the Provincial Camp Site Evacuation Center received P5,000 monetary aid apiece on Wednesday.
The cash assistance came from money appropriated through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Affected households in three Guinobatan barangays — Maninila, Tandarura, and Muladbucad Grande — would also receive P5,000 in cash beginning June 15.
The Mayon Volcano remains at Alert Level 3, indicating the probability of an eruption.
As of Wednesday midday, 5,016 families — a total of 17,941 people — were taking temporary refuge in evacuation centers and private residences in seven towns and cities, according to the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office.
