Seventeen local government units across Pangasinan have secured national funding to repair infrastructure shattered by a relentless succession of typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions between 2024 and 2026. The financial lifeline arrives via the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program, a national effort designed to bridge the recovery gaps left by standard disaster funds.
League of Municipalities of the Philippines Pangasinan Chapter President and Manaoag Mayor Jeremy Agerico Rosario confirmed the release of the funds following a ceremonial turnover at Malacañang Palace. The grants range from PHP5 million to PHP20 million per locality, determined by rigorous damage assessments conducted by the Office of Civil Defense. Coastal municipalities, having absorbed the brunt of recent storm surges and heavy coastal erosion, pulled in significantly larger allocations.
Rosario Plans Dedicated Disaster Command Center
Rosario noted that the municipality intends to channel the entire sum into constructing a dedicated command center, which will streamline future disaster response and coordinate municipal rescue assets more efficiently. Other localities across the province that missed out on the initial wave may see allocations in a forthcoming second batch.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made it explicitly clear during the Malacañang gathering that public funds must serve disaster-hit residents rather than pad private pockets. There must be no room for corruption in this program. Ghost projects are not allowed. Commissions are not allowed. Substandard rehabilitation projects are not allowed,
Marcos warned, adding that the full force of the law will hunt down anyone attempting to profit from public misery, as reported by Philstar.com.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the ceremonial turnover of Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program (DRRAP) funds to local government units (LGUs) at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacañan Palace on November 5, 2026. The national government has allocated… pic.twitter.com/MotylRg0I3
The national government has earmarked a staggering PHP8.6 billion under the DRRAP to uplift 306 disaster-affected local government units nationwide. The program directly targets the restoration of compromised roads, bridges, public buildings, and evacuation centers, while breathing life back into crippled agricultural sectors, local housing, educational facilities, health services, and community livelihoods.
Officials Distribute Billions at Kalayaan Hall
The total PHP8.645-billion disbursement, which includes more than PHP6 billion already released and a second batch of over PHP2.5 billion, was distributed at Kalayaan Hall on November 5, 2026. During the event, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto delivered opening remarks alongside Department of Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert C. de Leon. While the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund supports national agencies, President Marcos noted that the DRRAP provides local governments the flexibility to prioritize interventions based on their specific local circumstances.
Cross-Party Consensus on Distribution Equity
Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, attending the Palace event, pointed out that the diverse political affiliations visible among the attendees demonstrated that aid was distributed strictly according to need rather than political color.
Robredo confirmed that Naga’s own PHP20 million allocation is slated for essential drainage improvements. Several flood-mitigation projects in her city had languished with insufficient funding since Typhoon Kristine struck in October 2024, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to recurrent inundation at the lower end of the Bicol River Basin.
Meanwhile, in Central Luzon, the Municipality of San Marcelino in Zambales secured a PHP5 million slice of the national fund to restore public infrastructure heavily battered by severe monsoon rains last August, according to Punto! Central Luzon. Mayor Elvis Ragadio Soria attended the Palace ceremony to accept the assistance, which will primarily fund the reconstruction of a damaged local bridge and a barangay hall in the worst-hit Barangay Sta. Fe. The aid follows a September visit to the barangay by the President to inspect the damage.
Context of the Relief Effort
During his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Marcos ordered investigations into substandard flood control projects, which the finance department estimates may have cost the Philippine economy approximately PHP118.5 billion annually between 2023 and 2025.
Marcos turns over P8.6-B in disaster assistance funds to 306 LGUs | ANC pic.twitter.com/90GkBTRauk
More on President Marcos
President @bongbongmarcos warned that corruption will not be tolerated in the government’s disaster rehabilitation program, specifically calling out ghost projects, commissions and substandard rehabilitation work funded by public money. Marcos issued the warning during the… pic.twitter.com/LKaNyvXYun
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the ceremonial turnover of the Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program (DRRAP) funds, approving PHP 8.6 billion for 306 local government units hit by calamities between 2024 and 2026.https://t.co/koQcI4NqRg
