During the on-site inspection of damaged infrastructure sites at Negros Occidental on Tuesday (Nov. 11), Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (rightmost) speaks with La Castellana Vice Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan (leftmost) on the status of repair efforts for the collapsed Buhangin River “Wipe-out Bridge” that connects the municipality’s upland barangays to the town proper.
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL — The Marcos administration stepped up its rehabilitation push in Negros on Tuesday, with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Education Secretary Sonny Angara leading an intensive, province-wide deployment of assistance and on-ground inspections following the devastation of Typhoon Tino. Acting on the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the two Cabinet secretaries carried out a coordinated mission that combined immediate relief distribution with strategic evaluation of damaged infrastructure crucial to local mobility, agriculture, and tourism.
Secretary Frasco announced that a total of P95 million in presidential assistance has been approved to jumpstart recovery efforts across Negros Occidental. The province will receive P50 million, while La Carlota City and the municipalities of La Castellana and Moises Padilla will get P10 million each. Binalbagan, Isabela, and Hinigaran will each receive P5 million to support urgent rehabilitation work. Frasco told residents that the President’s directive underscores the government’s commitment to stand with communities until recovery is complete, emphasizing that national and local agencies remain fully engaged in the ground response.
The secretaries oversaw the distribution of food packs, family kits, and hygiene supplies from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in multiple evacuation centers, extending assistance late into the evening to reach remote communities. Additional support was handed over by the Department of Health, which provided 100 jerrycans and boxes of essential medicines, while the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development supplied shelter-grade tarpaulins for displaced families.
Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco leads the distribution of family food packs and other relief goods to families at an evacuation center La Castellana, Negros Occidental on Tuesday (Nov. 11), following the impacts of Typhoon Tino across portions of Visayas and Mindanao.
Beyond immediate relief, the mission placed strong focus on infrastructure assessment to ensure that government investments are deployed where they will have the greatest economic and community impact. Frasco visited damaged sites including the Biao spillway in Binalbagan, a vital connector for several barangays and an access road supporting local tourism activity. She also inspected the Jose Pepito Montilla Garcia Sr. National High School, where floodwaters reached ceiling height and destroyed key educational materials.
Officials likewise conducted site checks in the Riverside Area of Barangay Poblacion in Moises Padilla and at the collapsed Buhangin River “Wipe-Out Bridge” in La Castellana, a critical structure whose rehabilitation is essential for farm-to-market routes during the peak of harvesting and milling season. These assessments are expected to guide the prioritization of funds to restore connectivity, safeguard livelihoods, and accelerate the return of normalcy for communities across Negros.
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