PRESIDENT MARCOS: Well, Secretary Gilbert, who heads NDRRMC, went there yesterday. We scheduled for him to come here but instead he had to go to Cebu. We are still assessing the damage there but the earthquake was very strong.

Pagka ‘yung mga ganyang klaseng numbers, that’s a very, very big number already. So, we’re assessing the damage, we’re assessing the needs na pangangailangan.

We are here now because Masbate was completely hit — suffered a solid hit from “Opong”. They were only recovering — they were still recovering from “Emong”, tinamaan na nito.

So, severe damage talaga ang nangyari. Ang problema some of the services have been interrupted although the hospital continues to function.

Iyong  kuryente baka matagalan pa nang kaunti but — because we have to be very sure that’s it’s safe bago natin i-on ang kuryente.

Iyong mga sa DSWD na mga assistance, cash assistance, at saka food packs, kumpleto naman tayo. Nakapag-respond sila within – less than 24 hours, nandito na sila. Because we already knew that kailangan magpa – magpa-preposition ng mga food packs, et cetera.

So, that’s all right. We have food packs, we have hygiene packs, we have…

The DOH is continuing to go through the evacuation centers to make sure that everybody’s okay at gagamutin ‘yung mga iba. They have come – nagdala na rin sila ng gamot para doon sa mga nangangailangan ng gamot.

So, that we – I think that we have attended to most of the problems. ‘Yung pinakamalaking problema na hindi pa natin nabigyan ng atensyon, ‘yung kakulangan ng cash. Dahil hindi makapag-withdraw ‘yung tao dahil sa sarado ‘yung mga bangko, walang kuryente, walang internet.

So, that’s the problem that we have to solve now. Paano makapag-provide ng — para makapag-withdraw — hindi naman ito cash assistance eh — para makapag-withdraw ‘yung tao ng sarili nilang pera sa bangko?

And that’s what we have to do. So, mukhang ang solusyon ay talagang magdadala tayo rito ng napakaraming cash. So, ‘yun ang isusunod namin. Iyon ang pinakakulang na hindi pa namin nagagawa at all. Hindi namin alam…

Sa ibang lugar hindi naging problema ‘yan. Although it’s a — iyon na nga ‘yung problema ngayon dito sa Masbate. They’re going all the way to Legazpi to withdraw money. Kung saan-saan pumupunta. They go to the — they go to anywhere that makautang. Eh ‘yun lang walang nagpapautang ngayon siyempre dahil ganito.

So, it’s a problem that we are going to have to solve very, very quickly. I have a report from Secretary Ralph Recto that there are two LandBank branches that are open pero malalayo. One in Masbate City and the other one is in Cataingan, which is what? Two hours? Two hours away from here.

So, very inconvenient para sa tao but we’ll try to improve that situation as soon as we can.

Overwhelming ang ano — ang damage dito talagang… Ang sabi sa akin kahit ‘yung mga matatanda dito sa Masbate wala silang naaalala na bagyo na ganito kalakas na dumaan dito sa Masbate. Kaya we have to do a lot of work para ma-recover lahat, makabawi ang tao.

Sa Department of Agriculture, we are already going to provide cash assistance. Malaki rin ang damage dahil aani tayo October eh. Lahat naman ng… Sa karamihan ng Pilipinas, the harvest season is just beginning. Kaya’t marami talagang nasira.

We will have to provide again cash assistance to the farmers, unang-una. Pangalawa, we will have to process the crop insurance. Mayroon naman silang crop insurance pero kung minsan matagal ‘yung proseso. Kaya’t habang hinahintay ‘yun ay puwede tayong kumuha cash assistance.

Nag-release ako ng PhP100 million na LGSF, Local Government Support Fund, para magamit dahil nahihirapan na ang provincial government na makapagbayad sa lahat ng kailangang gawin. They have had to already re-align many of their initiatives.

So, sa Department of Agriculture, we will do the — we always do na magdadala kami ng kapalit — but with seedlings. So that maybe while waiting for the next planting season ng palay ay mayroon tayong matanim na kaunting gulay, may matanim na kung ano so that mayroon naman silang pinagkikitaan kahit papaano.

So, those are the general – those are the main areas of concern dito sa briefing na ibinigay sa atin ng province. And so, that is what we are going to attend to.

Q: [inaudible]

PRESIDENT MARCOS: I’m sorry?

Q: May I just briefly shift to another topic? Your public ratings, trust ratings went up. Where do you attribute that pagtaas?

PRESIDENT MARCOS: You know what I have no idea. I don’t look so much at… It’s, of course, nice to note. I didn’t know about that. But now that you tell me, of course I’m glad that it’s that way.

I guess we just have to keep working. Eh wala naman — whatever is happening, whatever is happening, eh ang tao… Kahit na ano ang nangyari, kahit may bagyo, kahit na may iskandalo, kahit may gulo, ang taumbayan ay umaasa sa pamahalaan na tuloy ang serbisyo, tuloy ang trabaho ng pamahalaan at every level — at the national level, at the local level — na tuloy-tuloy lang.

Kaming mga public servant, kaming mga hinalal ng taumbayan ay dapat nakikita na hindi naglalaro, na kung ano-anong ginagawa, namumulitika, whatever, basta’t nagtatrabaho lang para makapagserbisyo sa tao.

I hope that’s what is coming from and I think so.

All right? Maraming salamat.

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