By Ernie Delgado

LEGAZPI CITY (PIA) — South Korea has provided 400 metric tons of rice as assistance to the Philippines to support its relief efforts in areas where the ongoing southwest monsoon or habagat has disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of fisherfolk, farmers, and laborers.

On August 14, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) hosted a ceremony in Legazpi City, Albay province, to distribute the rice aid to fisherfolk and other families in distress.

The severe weather system has damaged their livelihoods, leading to food shortage.

The DSWD Field Office Bicol (FO5) said it plans to distribute the rice to households affected by the extreme weather conditions.

According to the South Korean embassy in Manila, the assistance stems from an agreement signed in 2024 between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and then-President Yook Suk Yeol of South Korea. The deal established a “strategic partnership” aimed at enhancing humanitarian cooperation, particularly in food security.

South Korea is part of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), a program that also includes Japan, China, and the 10 member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The program maintains rice reserves for emergency sales or donations in response to food shortages or disasters in the Southeast Asian region.

The latest rice provision to the country was conducted under this program, the DSWD FO5 said.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in its latest situation report, the habagat and other weather systems have affected a total of 5,146,748 individuals, or more than a million families (1,468,226).

The affected population were in the Bicol Region, National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, and Zamboanga Peninsula.

APTERR General Manager Choomjet Karnjanakesorn led the rice distribution in Barangay Lamba, Legazpi City, where he was hosted by DSWD Assistant Secretary for the National Resource and Logistics Management Bureau Leo Quintilla, along with Legazpi Mayor Hisham Ismail. (PIA Bicol)

Published Date: August 20, 2026