BEREAVED families of victims of Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) in Cordillera would receive P25,000 worth of financial assistance each from President Rodrigo Duterte, MalacaƱang announced on Monday, September 17.
"The President will be distributing checks in the amount of P25,000 each to the victims of those who perished because of Ompong," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press conference in Benguet.
On Monday afternoon, September 17, Duterte will meet in La Trinidad, Benguet, the families of individuals who have been killed by Ompong, which unleashed its strength over the weekend, causing massive flooding and landslides in northern Luzon.
The Chief Executive will also hold a situation briefing on the effects of Typhoon Ompong after his meeting with the families of Ompong victims.
Around 147,540 families or 591,762 individuals have been reported affected by the typhoon, as of 6 a.m., Monday, Roque said.
The Palace official said some 50,686 families or 192,842 individuals are still in evacuation centers.
The number of people killed by Ompong in the Cordillera alone rose to 54, Roque noted.
"Malungkot po ang nangyari dito sa Itogon. Kung hindi po nangyari ito, talagang (Our experience in Itogon is saddening. Had it not happened) we could have limited the casualties because of the amount of preparation that we had for Typhoon Ompong," Roque said.
"Magkakaroon po tayo ng mga leksyon galing dito sa karanasan na ito and we will move on. Ang pangako naman po ng gobyerno, hindi po iiwan ang Itogon at ang buong Cordillera. Kadamay niyo po ang Presidente Duterte," he added.
(We will learn from this experience and we will move on. Our government's promise is to assist Itogon and the entire Cordillera. President Duterte is with you.) (SunStar Philippines)