BASCO, Batanes -- Relaying the situation of her constituents, Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco could not hold back tears at a face-to-face briefing with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his visit to the typhoon-hit northern provinces of Batanes and Ilocos Norte on Friday. 

“Ako po ay nagsusumamo po sa inyo at humihingi ng tulong para po sa aming probinsya na talagang pinatumba ng bagyong Julian. Kami po ay humihingi ng tulong para sa pagpapatayo o pag-repair ng mga nasirang bahay,” Cayco told the president. 

Earlier, Marcos saw the impact of typhoon Julian in Barangay Chanarian in the capital Basco. 

He also inspected damaged classrooms in Basco Central School, some of whose roofs were torn off by strong winds.

Marcos Jr. inspects damaged dike in Ilocos Norte

The president led the distribution of food packs and construction materials to affected residents, in partnership with various government departments.

“Ang susunod naming dapat gawin ay ‘yong rebuilding. Nakita ko ‘yong mga bahay talagang natangay lahat. ‘Yon ang susunod naming gawin. Nasimulan na ng province na magbigay ng yero, kahoy, para at least meron na tayong maggawa,” Marcos said.

According to the Batanes provincial government, 276 houses were totally damaged, while 2,048 were partially damaged, with estimated costs exceeding P200 million.

To help in the rebuilding, Cayco also requested the president to consider a moratorium or amendments to R.A. 8991, the Batanes Protected Area Act.

“Simula noong nadeklara kaming protected area as a whole sa bisa ng batas, kami ay binawala nang mag-quarry o kumuha ng local aggregates gaya ng buhangin at bato mula sa aming mga dalampasigan. Dahil dito, kung gusto naming magpatayo ng matibay na bahay, kailangan pa naming bumili ng imported aggregates na mula pa sa Manila at Ilocos,” she said.

 LOOK: Typhoon Julian aftermath in Batanes 

But for Marcos, the concern has to be assessed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“Hindi pwedeng mag-assess ang municipality. Ang kailangang mag-assess ay DENR. Kasi ang pag-assess sa municipality— dahil ibang usapan kung saan dumadaan ‘yong tubig, kung saan kukuha ng aggregates kung sakali, saan ang magiging quarrying. Kailangan matingnan ‘yong buo, hindi pwedeng isang bayan lamang,” the president explained. 

In response, the Office of the President provided P25 million in aid to the provincial government for those affected by the storm.

An additional P15 million was also pledged to be allocated by the House of Representatives.

“We wanted to make sure. Iba kasi ‘yong binabasang report kesa mapuntahan mo at makita mo talaga that’s why we are all here para matiyak na tama ‘yong nga report na ibinigay sa amin [at] para makita talaga namin of what the human condition is,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, aside from food packs and construction materials, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed P10,000 to families affected by the storm.

1 missing, 8 injured due to Julian: NDRRMC 

Currently, only Batan Island remains without power, as the Batanes Electric Cooperative continues repairs on the electricity lines affected by the storm.

Restoration is expected in the coming weeks, according to the provincial government.

Operations at Basco Airport have also returned to normal for commercial flights, while employees and students have resumed classes in the province, except in areas where schools were damaged.

Overall, the total damage caused by Typhoon Julian in Batanes is estimated to exceed P800 million.

Marcos next visited his home province of Ilocos Norte, which recorded nearly P1 billion in damage to infrastructure and agriculture.

He inspected the damaged Gabu dike in Laoag City and vowed to have it repaired.

One hundred million pesos in financial aid was provided by the President to the province for rehabilitation.