Scenes of Devastation
These heartbreaking photos from La Union’s 1st District show the actual cost of Typhoon Emong—flooded fields, destroyed homes and damaged roads. Rep. Paolo Ortega V’s district is now facing over ₱1 billion in damage to agriculture, housing, and infrastructure. Families are struggling to rebuild, and urgent national support is needed to help them recover and start again. He expressed gratitude to reelected Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the Speaker of the 19th Congress, for the immediate assistance.
LA Union 1st District Representative and Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega V on Saturday urgently appealed for national government assistance as the province reels from the devastation wrought by Typhoon Emong and a string of other weather disturbances that battered Northern Luzon earlier this week.
Ortega, a Deputy Majority Leader of the 19th Congress, said that while local government units responded swiftly to the typhoon, the scale of damage—particularly to agriculture and vital infrastructure in low-lying and coastal areas—requires stronger and sustained support from national agencies.
“We’re looking at over P1 billion in agricultural, housing, and infrastructure losses across La Union. Kaya nananawagan ako ng tulong mula sa national agencies in helping our province recover from Typhoon Emong,” Ortega, one of the leaders of the House Young Guns, said as he thanked reelected Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the Speaker of the 19th Congress, for the quick assistance.
Ortega noted earlier tropical cyclones—Crising and Dante—and the southwest monsoon (habagat) compounded Emong’s impact, further damaging homes, especially in coastal and low-lying barangays where many families lost their homes.
Relief packs and shelter allowances have been distributed per town to aid affected residents, but many areas remain inaccessible due to impassable roads.
“Aid is ready, but many areas remain inaccessible. We urgently call on the national government to send reinforcements for road clearing and power restoration so we can deliver assistance to every community,” Ortega emphasized.
He added that farmers urgently need financial aid, seeds, fertilizer and other production support to resume planting as soon as possible.
He called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to roll out emergency recovery packages tailored to the specific needs of these farming communities.
Ortega also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to assist in repairing damaged irrigation systems, drainage channels and feeder roads, which are critical to agriculture and relief operations.
“Kapag hindi natin inayos agad ang imprastruktura, mas matagal makakabangon ang aming buong probinsya. We need to treat this as a serious development setback that demands an equally serious response,” Ortega said.
The congressman expressed gratitude to local officials and volunteers who are leading relief efforts on the ground, noting that thousands of families across several barangays have been affected by flooding.
“Marami pa rin ang nangangailangan ng tulong at ayuda. Tuloy-tuloy ang pamimigay natin ng relief goods, pero aminado tayong hindi ito kakayanin ng lokal lang. Kailangan natin ng tulong mula sa national government,” he added.
Ortega said the local government is finalizing damage assessments to support requests for further national intervention and possible disaster relief augmentation under the law.
“This is not the time to wait for things to normalize. Our local teams are doing everything they can, but the scale of damage demands national support—equipment, personnel, and coordination—to reach our hardest-hit communities,” Ortega said.
About the Author
