MANILA, Philippines – A total of P46.4 million in aid had been distributed to flood-stricken areas, including Pampanga, Bulacan, and other provinces in Central Luzon, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday, August 7.

While Monday’s weather was calm, the provinces had been inundated with continuous rainfall due to the the southwest monsoon enhanced by Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) and Typhoon Falcon (Khanun).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited Pampanga and Bulacan on Monday, along with DSWD and local government officials, to personally distribute food packs and cash aid.

In his message to the beneficiaries, Marcos emphasized the need to proactively address the impacts of climate change.

“The reality is that many areas affected by floods were not traditionally flood-prone. The volume of rainfall, from the North to Central Luzon, necessitates vigilant preparedness. We cannot change the weather, but we can enhance our readiness to assist flood and typhoon victims,” Marcos said in Filipino on Monday morning.

As of Sunday, August 6, the DSWD reported that 214,343 families were affected by floods in Pampanga. On Monday, a total of 1,000 flood-affected residents in the province each received family food packs and P10,000 in cash aid from the DSWD.

According to the latest updates from the Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, heavy rainfall in the past weeks led to flooding in 17 municipalities, affecting 275 barangays and almost 200,000 families or about 712,881 individuals. Of these, about 2,300 families evacuated to over 150 sites across Pampanga.

The flooding also damaged agriculture and livestock in the province.

Damage to fisheries and high-value crops reached P274.06 million and P34.96 million, respectively. Meanwhile, the province’s corn and livestock losses were at P25.05 million and P6.07 million, respectively.

After Pampanga, Marcos went to Bulacan on Monday to monitor the distribution of aid in the towns of Malolos, San Miguel, Hagonoy, Pulilan, San Rafael, San Ildefonso, Bustos, Paombong, Calumpit, and Bulakan.

He also held discussions with Bulacan officials, including Governor Daniel Fernando and Vice Governor Alex Santos, about the damage caused by the flooding in their province.

According to a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report, 170,482 families were affected in over 178 barangays all over Bulacan as of Monday.

The flooding in the province also resulted in significant damage to agriculture and fisheries (P244.4 million), livestock (P24.3 million), and infrastructure (P500 million). – Rappler.com