President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. committed to meeting the needs of those affected by Typhoon Egay and to restoring power as he toured the provinces of Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Cagayan on Saturday.
Marcos presided over situation briefings on the consequences of Egay and distributed assistance to local governments during his visit to the three provinces.
Also, the President stressed the need to guarantee that typhoon-affected communities have an adequate supply of rice.
He stated that the government must seek rice suppliers so that the National Food Authority (NFA) can provide the necessary emergency assistance.
In a public briefing with disaster management and municipal officials in Abra, Marcos said that rice is the most important thing to him.
He reaffirmed that the government will not import rice unless availability is so low that prices are already out of reach for ordinary consumers.
During a situation briefing in Cagayan, Marcos stated that he is looking into a deal to obtain rice from India since he is concerned about a probable surge in rice prices.
Marcos emphasized the importance of investigating local vegetable supplies and identifying price-stabilizing techniques, saying that Benguet's vegetable farms were also affected by the weather disruption.
Aside from ensuring an adequate rice supply, he stated that the government is working to restore power in typhoon-ravaged areas of Ilocos and the Cordillera.
According to Marcos, the province of Ilocos Sur is at 37 percent in terms of electricity restoration, while Cagayan is at 42 percent. Bangued, Abra's capital, is at 86 percent.
He agreed that the large number of downed poles and electricity cables would make fast restoration impossible. He assured that government help is in place in the impacted provinces.
The chief executive personally handed aid materials and cash to Abrenian households in Bangued.
He also provided cash aid to numerous local government units, including the Abra, Benguet, and Mountain Province provincial governments, as well as all towns in Abra.
