QC gov't to donate P50-M for 'Yolanda' victims

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City local government is set to extend P50 million in financial assistance to the survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said Monday.

Belmonte said the funds, which will come from the city’s Quick Response Fund (QRF), will be made available to cities or municipalities that have been affected by the recent calamity.

Mayor Herbert Bautista earlier asked the city council to look into the possibility of using the QRF to support the relief and recovery operations in the Visayas.

The vice mayor said the city council will also pass another measure that contains the guidelines for the release of the funds.

She said the financial assistance will be coursed through the local disaster risk reduction and management offices of the affected areas as mandated by the disaster risk reduction and management act.

Belmonte said the P50-million financial assistance is different from the support that Quezon City will provide for its three adopted municipalities in Leyte.

Elmo San Diego, chief of the QC Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS), said that the city’s seven-man contingent left on Sunday to assess the situation in the municipalities of Palompon, Tolosa, and Santa Fe.

Bautista earlier said that the damage assessment and needs analysis team will determine the priority needs of the people in the areas.

The team is composed of representatives from DPOS, the Quezon City Police District, city engineering office, health department, social services and development department, and disaster risk reduction and management office (DRRMO).

Team leader Mike Marasigan, assistant head for operations of the QCDRRMO, said that their assessment will cover various components including the damages caused by the typhoon, the integrity of structures in the areas, the health condition of the residents, and the social and psychological effects of the disaster.

He said their contingent will also look for the most secure and fast route to bring the supplies to the three municipalities. He said the assessment is necessary before sending a team with the supplies.

“We don’t want to duplicate what’s already there,” he said, adding that they will also bring supplies that can fit into their bags such as medicines and water.

He said they could not haul in boxes of relief as their priory is to gather data as they will serve as the initial team for a larger contingent that the city will send later on.

The team is expected to return to Manila Tuesday.

Upon their return, Bautista will convene the city disaster risk reduction and management council to determine the priorities of the said municipalities.

San Diego said the mayor has committed to support the long-term recovery of Palompon, Tolosa, and Santa Fe that could last to about three years. He said at least three teams of 20 people will be sent to the municipalities.

Aside from immediate relief, the city is also looking into providing assistance for infrastructure rehabilitation in the areas. The city also started a fund drive for the survivors of the calamity.