-
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., together with several members of the Cabinet, meets with several governors of the provinces that were affected by Tropical Storm Basyang in Malacañang on Feb. 11, 2026, to ensure swift and orderly relief and recovery operations. (Photo courtesy o Presidential Communications Office)
Governors from six provinces expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for approving P321 million in financial assistance for areas affected by Tropical Storm Basyang, internationally known as Penha.
In a joint statement released by Malacañang, the provincial leaders said the support would help families recover from the storm’s impact.
“We thank President BBM for the timely help, which we are sure would ease the suffering and pain caused by the storm to our constituents,” the governors said.
The statement was issued by Governors Pamela Baricuatro of Cebu, Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, Ralph Vincent Evardone of Eastern Samar, Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, Erico Aristotle Aumentado of Bohol and Jose Enrique Miraflores of Aklan.
They said the funds would be used to assist displaced residents, distribute relief goods and repair damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The governors also pledged to supplement the national assistance with local resources.
“Helping our people is a shared responsibility of the national government and local government units,” they said.
On Feb. 14, Marcos directed the release of P321 million to 34 provinces and eight cities affected by Basyang and the shear line. He issued the order to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto following a meeting with several governors last week.
Recto later confirmed that the funds were being released in accordance with the President’s directive.
The provinces set to receive assistance include Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, Masbate, Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro in Luzon; Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Capiz, Aklan, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Cebu, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, Samar, Northern Samar, Antique and Siquijor in the Visayas; and Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte and Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao.
The cities included in the allocation are Iligan, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Butuan, Cebu, Zamboanga, Iloilo and Mandaue.
The governors also acknowledged the administration’s efforts to involve local governments in implementing national programs. They cited the recent memorandum of agreement between the Department of Education and local government units to accelerate classroom construction and address a backlog nearing 150,000 units.
“We have engineering personnel and equipment and local manpower to help the government build more school buildings to ease the classroom shortage, lessen crowding and provide an environment conducive to learning in public schools,” the governors said.
Following the signing of the agreement on Feb. 11, Marcos met with governors from provinces heavily affected by Basyang to coordinate relief and recovery efforts.
During that meeting, the President ordered the early release of disaster funds, streamlined distribution of assistance, and the immediate provision of seeds to support farmers in resuming agricultural production. He also directed preparations for financial aid programs and strengthened river-clearing operations to help prevent future flooding.