Metro Manila under state of calamity

The Metro Manila Council has officially declared a state of calamity in the National Capital Region.

During a situation briefing on the effects of Carina and the “habagat,” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos recommended to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to put Metro Manila under a state of calamity amid widespread flooding in various cities in the capital region.

The President, for his part, said the decision to declare a state of calamity in Metro Manila cities will rest upon its local chief executives because “they know best what they need.”

“It’s up to local communities to decide because they know best, they know best what they need,” Marcos told reporters in a media interview after the situation briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The declaration of a state of calamity will help local governments access their calamity funds, the President explained.