Marcos announces P125M aid for Batanes, Ilocos Norte typhoon recovery

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. announced on Friday that his office will provide additional assistance to help Batanes and Ilocos Norte recover from Typhoon Julian.

During a visit to Basco's Oval Plaza in Batanes, Marcos stated that the Office of the President would release P25 million for immediate needs identified by government officials, while an additional P100 million was turned over to the local government of Ilocos Norte during his visit there.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian joined Marcos in distributing relief and cash assistance, including PHP3,000 per family under the 'Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita' (AKAP) program and water filtration kits to affected families.

In Batanes, 2,000 boxes of food packs were distributed along with financial aid to some 200 families, while in Ilocos Norte, a total of 10,588 beneficiaries received cash assistance ranging from PHP3,000 to PHP4,000 under the AKAP and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program.

Marcos also conducted an aerial inspection of Ilocos Norte to further assess the damage caused by the typhoon.