During the flag-raising ceremony held this morning at the Baguio City Hall, the flag was flown at half-mast.

This is a sign of mourning for the entire nation for the 150 lives lost due to Typhoon Kristine.

This follows the declaration by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of Proclamation 728, declaring November 4 as a National Day of Mourning for those who died in the devastation caused by Typhoon Kristine.

As a gesture of sympathy and assistance to the victims, the city government will provide 2 million pesos in aid to the province of Batangas and the Bicol region.

The said funds will be sourced from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Trust Fund and are set to be approved by the Baguio City Council.

In addition, the city government assured that they are ready to provide further assistance to the affected individuals.

Meanwhile, the President visited Barangay Sampaloc in Talisay, Batangas, to participate in a mass for the victims of Typhoon Kristine.

After the mass, the President lit candles and inspected the landslide-affected area in the barangay.

There were 60 fatalities in the province of Batangas, with 20 in the town of Talisay due to landslides and drowning.

“I would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to every Filipino affected by Typhoon Kristine. We have designated this day as a National Day of Mourning under Proclamation Number 728,” said PBBM.

In addition to the President’s visit, he assured 60 million pesos in financial assistance to the towns of Batangas, which will be distributed by the DSWD, along with 10,000 pesos to selected farmers severely affected by Typhoon Kristine.

“We understand that it is not easy to alleviate the pain you are experiencing, but we hope that with the support we are offering today, you can start anew,” PBBM added.

Furthermore, the President has also instructed the DOST, DILG, DENR, and DTI to prepare earlier and issue warnings whenever there is a typhoon and to build quality infrastructure to mitigate flooding and landslides.

The President also distributed relief goods and some construction materials to help some residents begin anew.

**CHARLES NIKKO LIMON