MANILA (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday called on his government and the public to prepare for the effects of climate change as he visited areas in Luzon that were hit by massive flooding from monsoon rains and recent typhoons.

"Kailangan nating paghandaan talaga itong ating tinatawag na climate change. Nagbabago po ang panahon. Hindi sumusunod sa dati," Marcos told hundreds of residents in San Fernando City, Pampanga, which was recently swamped with floods.

(We need to prepare for climate change. The weather is changing, and is not like what it used to be.)

In a briefing with the province's officials, Marcos said that the government had no other choice but to face the challenges posed by climate change to the country.

He urged officials to understand climate change better and create solutions that were "more attuned" to the present situation.

"Lahat ng karanasan natin tungkol sa panahon, wala na iyan. The weather is changing. Hindi na tayo babalik sa dati. Ganito na ang climate change," he said.

(Everything we know about the weather is no longer applicable. The weather is changing. We are not going back to what we used to be. This is the reality of climate change.)

"I'm sorry. It's really bad news and we all don't want to deal with it, but we have to," he added.

Marcos also noted that his home province Ilocos Norte experienced the worst flooding in 20 years when Typhoon Egay (Doksuri) pummeled parts of northern Luzon late July.

Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Bondoc described the recent massive flooding in her province as the "worst flood since 1972," with more than 198,000 families affected there.

She also said it was the first time she saw flooding on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), which resulted in a traffic jam that snarled hundreds of motorists.

"I have never seen sandbagging sa NLEX," she told Marcos.

• Motorists face heavy traffic as floods hit parts of NLEX

Before meeting with local officials, Marcos led the distribution of food packs and P10,000 cash aid to 1,000 flood survivors in Pampanga through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also doled out P2.3 million worth of aid to 500 residents who lost their jobs to the massive floods and recent cyclones.

Marcos then headed to Malolos, Bulacan to give out aid to residents there and discuss with local officials the extent of the damage brought by recent weather events to the province.

Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando told the President that all 24 cities and towns of his province were affected by the flooding, which also left 6 people dead.

In Calumpit and Hagonoy, floods reached up to 6 feet deep, Fernando said, adding that Bulacan's total damage was pegged at P768 million.

He also noted that the Bustos Dam releasing water at the height of Typhoons Egay and Falcon was seen as a major contributing factor to the massive floods that hit the province.

The Philippines has been ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, which experts said would make tropical cyclones more intense and destructive.

• Climate change makes cyclones more intense, destructive: scientists
• Gov't earmarks P543-B for climate change mitigation projects in 2024

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