Marikina mayor: Calamity fund 'not enough' but will help in 'Carina' aftermath

Metro Manila, Philippines — Marikina City’s calamity fund will help flood victims while insufficient to rehabilitate damage triggered by continuous rains, Mayor Marcy Teodoro said.

Marikina City began to access quick response funds after the declaration of a state of calamity for the entire Metro Manila on Wednesday, July 24.

A price freeze also took effect as heavy rains caused by “Carina,” a super typhoon at its peak, and the southwest monsoon battered the capital region.

“Definitely it will not be enough for the impact that we experienced pero makakatulong ito para sa pangunahing pangangailangan,” Teodoro, in a NewsWatch Plus interview on Thursday, said of the city’s calamity fund.

[Translation: Definitely it will not be enough for the impact that we experienced but it will help for primary needs.]

The mayor said Marikina’s quick response fund is smaller compared to other cities. He said around ₱30 million or ₱35 million would be the city’s calamity budget.

“Ang assessment lang namin sa economic loss sa small and medium enterprises napakarami,” he said. “Meron tayong 3,000 hanggang 4,000 mga maliliit na tindahan tulad ng variety stores, mga karinderya, mga pagawaan ng sapatos na maliliit [na affected.]”

[Translation: Our assessment of the economic loss of small and medium enterprises is huge. We have 3,000 to 4,000 affected small businesses like variety stories, eateries, and small shoemakers.]

On X (formerly Twitter), former Senator Ping Lacson noted that per Republic Act 10121, local government units (LGUs) set aside five percent of their budget to the calamity fund “which they sparingly use.”

“There could be tens of billions in their coffers combined. That being said, unaffected [LGUs] may extend their hands to assist,” Lacson said.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said ₱11.123 billion is on standby for the national disaster risk reduction and management fund.

Teodoro said fund support from government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment are “intact.”

School preparations affected

Teodoro told NewsWatch Plus that preparations for the school opening on Monday, July 29, will be affected due to the flooding.

“‘Yong mga paaralan, ngayon, kailangan di lang linisin, i-repair, i-refurbish na nakahanda na, ready na sana. Babalikan natin lahat para makabalik sa normal,” the mayor said.

[Translation: Schools were already ready. But now they need not only cleaning, but also repair and refurbishment. We need to visit them to ensure they return to normal.]

Local authorities have been mobilized to clean up inundated areas to also prevent the spread of diseases through debris caused by floods.

Teodoro said the local government had to procure more stocks of doxycycline, an antibiotic against leptospirosis, as their supply of the pill runs out.

Residents have begun to return to their homes on Thursday following better weather conditions and the continuous receding of the water level of Marikina River, Teodoro said.

Residents near river banks had to follow forced evacuation on Wednesday afternoon as the Marikina River breached the 18-meter mark and even reached over 20 meters. As of 2 p.m., the level was at 15 meters.

Teodoro said around 5,800 families were affected by floods, with over 30,000 people inside evacuation centers. He added that some 5,000 residents sought shelter outside evacuation centers.