Abra lone district Rep. JB Bernos on Tuesday gave assurances that his office is ready to extend assistance to those in his province who have suffered losses due to Super Typhoon Nando.
“Even as we have yet to assess the total damage caused by Super Typhoon Nando, our fellow Abreños can rest assured that my office will be with them every step of the way so we can recover what we have lost as much as we can, as fast as we can,” Bernos said.
Abra experienced total power interruption with damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and properties still not fully assessed.
Based on initial reports by the Provincial Government of Abra, there have been zero deaths and three injured as a consequence of the typhoon, which hit a large part of Northern Luzon on Monday.
The province, however, has experienced total power interruption. The damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and properties has also still not been fully assessed.
Bernos said that he is closely monitoring the situation in his province.
“Bukod na rin sa tinuturing natin itong personal na responsibilidad, may direktiba din ang ating Speaker Bojie Dy na bantayan ng mga representante ang aming mga distrito upang masigurong agad na makapag-abot ng tulong kapag kinakailangan,” said the lawmaker.
The solon also took the opportunity to underscore the need for a government body tasked with managing the Abra River Basin, which he said is crucial in reducing floods and other disasters related to climate change.
Bernos is the author House Bill No. 3119, which calls for the establishment of the Abra River Basin Development Authority (ARBDA), which he filed to address the river’s worsening condition due to uncontrolled industrialization, forest denudation, mining, and rapid population growth.
“The proper management of the Abra River, which will include aggressive reforestation, is an urgent matter. I hope that the House leadership will see fit to prioritize deliberations on this bill so we can act as soon as possible.”
