President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered 90 days of disaster response to continuously support residents in Albay province who were displaced due to Mayon Volcano's relatively high-level of unrest.
In a situation briefing, Marcos cited that the Quick Response Funds (QRF) of Albay local government unit (LGU) can sustain the relief operation for only 40 days.
"I think our working number should be 90 days. Mabuti na 'yung matapos nang maaga kesa mabitin naman 'yung ating bigay. Please take note of that," he said.
The President stressed the importance of being prepared for the possible events that may transpire soon.
“Let us be prepared to take as much of the load as soon as possible off of the local government units para naman mayroon silang – malay natin magkabagyo pa, may mangyari pa, para mayroon silang reserba pa. Hindi natin uubusin ‘yung kanilang quick response fund, number one," Marcos said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) previously distributed a total of 61,546 assistance — family food packs (FFPs) and non-family food packs (NFIs) worth ₱37,372,915.72 in the province, so far.
Prior to the situational briefing, Marcos visited Albay to personally check on the situation of thousands of citizens situated inside evacuation centers.
He also conducted an aerial inspection to assess the current situation of the Mayon Volcano and its vicinity.