The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) assured the public of its readiness to provide assistance and secure calamity funds for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) which was severely hit by typhoon "Paeng".
“Bagamat ang BARMM ay autonomous at may sariling sistema ng pamamahala, handa po ang DILG na alalayan ang Rehiyon sa panahon ng kanilang pangangailangan. Tayong lahat ay mga Pilipino na nakatira sa iisang bansa kaya may pananagutan tayo sa isa’t isa at tungkulin natin na magtulungan (Even if BARMM is autonomous in nature and have an independent system of governance, the DILG is ready to give the region the support in its time of need. We are all Filipinos living in one nation that is why we are answerable to each other and it is our duty to help one another),’’ said DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos.
On Oct. 29, President Marcos directed the national government agencies, including the DILG, to extend a helping hand to BARMM after it suffered a high fatality count due to floods brought by Paeng.
Based on the latest report, 40 people died, 31 were injured, while 15 others are missing after Paeng unleashed its fury on the region.
The report added that close to 58 percent of the residents or 83,326 families (416,630 individuals) were affected by the super tropical storm.
Abalos noted that the DILG is also closely working with BARMM officials regarding the status of the search, rescue, and retrieval operations and the management of the dead and the missing.
“Napakasaklap na may mga nasawi sa gitna ng bagyong ito at lubos kaming nakikiramay sa mga namatayan sa BARMM. Patuloy ang aming pakikipag-ugnayan upang maalalayan sila sa panahong ito (It is heartbreaking to know that there were fatalities in the midst of this tropical storm and we deeply sympathize to the dearly departed BARMM families. We continue to engage to assist them at this moment),’’ he added.
Over 158K individuals evacuated
In the President’s briefing, Abalos shared that a total of 158,040 individuals and 41,378 families have been pre-emptively evacuated ahead of Typhoon Paeng’s landfall.
“Region 5 has the most number of evacuated individuals (101,116), followed by Region 6 (34,342), Region 8 (12,123), Region 4-B (6,036), Region 4A (2,780), Region 12 (898), Region 7 (718), and Region 10 (27). Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have already received initial relief provisions (food and non-food items) from the concerned LGUs,’’ Abalos said..
Abalos also acknowledged and thanked the LGUs in preparing for the impact of Typhoon Paeng.
The DILG chief also cited the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for being alert 24/7 and helping in the disaster response efforts. (Chito A. Chavez)