Benhur, Gwen turn over P1.9B aid to DSWD for Yolanda victims

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu fourth and third district Representatives Benhur Salimbangon and Gwendolyn Garcia turned over yesterday the P1.9-billion financial assistance for Yolanda victims to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7.

“Finally, what they’ve been waiting for is in the hands of the DSWD,” said Salimbangon in an interview with the media at Marco Polo Hotel in Cebu City.

Salimbangon and Garcia personally presented to the media the rundown of the P1.9-billion cash aid for fourth district’s nine local government units heavily affected by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Of the entire amount, Daanbantayan will get the biggest share amounting to P425 million, while Bantayan gets P375 million. Bogo City and Medellin will have P283 million and P211 million, respectively.

Madridejos and San Remegio are allotted P125 million and P188 million, respectively, while Tabogon and Borbon of the fifth district will respectively get P103 million and P99 million. Sta. Fe town, on the other hand, will have P95 million from the funds.

DSWD-7 director Mercedita Jabagat said the mayors can already get their respective checks at her office next week. She said Tabuelan, which is also getting P18 million financial aid, will get its share separate from the  P1.9- billion allocation.

These 10 LGUs were among the 15 areas identified as badly hit by Yolanda in November 2013. Salimbangon said the rest of the towns, which are not on his list, will receive their share in the coming months.

Jabagat said the amount was based on the number of displaced families submitted by the towns, saying those which have lesser shares this time had already received similar aid from DSWD last year. Families whose houses were destroyed by the typhoon had received P30,000 each while P10,000 was given for each damaged house.

Salimbangon said P30,000 may not be enough to build a typhoon-resilient house, but “for the time being,” the amount will help the victims rebuild their houses while the national government reportedly works it out to give them bigger funding for a more solid structure.

He said the US  Agency for International Development (USAID) has suggested to the Philippine government the building of houses in the affected areas that can withstand typhoons with at least 400 kph in strength.

But the structure USAID has suggested is worth P500,000 each, which is “hard” to attain, Salimbangon said, especially in his district alone, where there were 100,000 households affected by Yolanda.

For her part, Garcia said the funding, which the victims had been waiting for over a year, is a “good way to start 2015.”

Meanwhile, Salimbangon urged the mayors to “immediately” release the financial assistance after the turnover next week. — Liv G. Campo/NSA (FREEMAN)