ILOCOS NORTE — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced on Friday that the government has allocated food and non-food items worth P83.744 million to assist the Cordillera region during the rainy season.
“Ngayon naman ay parating ang tag-ulan, minabuti po namin na maghanda ng pondo, pagkain, [at] non-food items na nagkakahalaga ng higit walumpu’t tatlong milyong piso para dito sa region,” Marcos said during the distribution of presidential aid in Apayao province.
(We have prepared more than P83 million worth of cash, food, and non-food items for the region during this rainy season.)
Of the P83 million, P4,437,218 is allocated for the standby fund, P25,197,515.57 for 31,597 family food packs, and P54,109,723.92 for other food and non-food items.
The Presidential Communications Office noted that Apayao province is expected to experience way below-normal rainfall this month, while other provinces in the region are projected to have below-normal rainfall.
In addition, Marcos provided P771.3 million in financial assistance to the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to support farmers and fisherfolk affected by the recent El Niño phenomenon.
Marcos also handed over P50 million each to the provincial governments of Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. The Provincial Government of Abra received P34.52 million, and the Provincial Government of Benguet was given P29.74 million.