For flood-hit areas: City dads okay P6M assistance

CEBU, Philippines -  The Cebu City government is giving P6 million to three local government units badly affected by flooding last week.

This as the city council yesterday authorized Mayor Michael Rama to grant financial assistance for the flood victims in Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, and the Province of Negros Oriental during a special session.

Officials of Cebu Province led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia also announced plans to visit the flood-hit areas next week to personally hand their assistance.

Rama had recommended an assistance of P5 million from the excess calamity funds of the city to be given to the areas affected by the floods. Despite the recent bickering between him and the council, the legislators decided to give an additional P1 million assistance.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, presiding officer of the council, said P3 million will be given to Cagayan de Oro City, P2 million to Iligan City, and P1 million to Negros Oriental.

The city will be also spending P500,000 for the purchase of 100 caskets to be delivered to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan to help ease the shortage as around 1,000 have already been declared dead while hundreds still remain missing.

Councilor Jose Daluz III who sponsored the resolution, upon the request of Rama, said “In the spirit of Christian generosity to help ease the plight of the victims, the Cebu City government is responding immediately to extend assistance to the plagued cities.”

The amount will be taken from the city’s calamity funds.

   Budget officer Nelfa Briones said that the city still has P11.5 million remaining from its calamity funds.

Gwen to visit Mindanao

Governor Garcia and some mayors will be visiting the flood-stricken cities after Christmas to personally bring their assistance.

Garcia said they will bring heavy equipment and personnel to help in the clearing operations.

The Province of Cebu will give P5 million each of the local governments of Iligan City and Cagayan de Oro City and P1 million each of Dumaguete City and Tanjay City in Negros Oriental.

“Ako mismo moadto didto sa paghatud sa atong financial assistance usab nga gikan sa province, kuyugan pud ko sa mga mayor nga gusto gyud sad sila mokuyog para mohatag sad sila directly sa ilang financial assistance from each of their towns and cities,” Garcia told reporters yesterday.

Garcia said that some mayors will be giving part of their unused calamity funds to affected LGUs.

Asturias Mayor Allan Adlawan promised to give P100,000 to each of the affected LGUs.

Liloan Mayor Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco also announced to give P200,000 for Cagayan de Oro City.

Frasco’s announcement was made during the “Liloanong Pasko sa Kabataan” when more than 600 day care children received gifts from his wife, Christina, who celebrated her birthday yesterday.

During the occasion, Frasco asked all municipal employees to donate at least one item of used clothing for the typhoon victims.

The Province of Cebu has already sent 100,000 bottles of water; 3,000 sacks of rice; blankets, canned goods, sardines, noodles and assorted medicine to Iligan and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao and the cities of Dumaguete and Tanjay in Negros Oriental.

Garcia said that the Province already paid P2.1 million to the National Food Authority for the rice.

Iligan and Cagayan de Oro each got 1,000 bags of NFA rice, 50 cartoons of sardines, 1,500 packs of bottled water, 20 boxes of assorted medicine, and a drum of chlorine.

The cities of Dumaguete and Tanjay, each also got 500 bags of NFA rice, 50 cartoons of sardines, 20 boxes of noodles, and 125 boxes of bottled water.

Two dump trucks are already in Iligan City to deliver the goods earlier shipped from Cebu.

Garcia is calling the Cebu contractors and the private sector if they could also lend their heavy equipment.

NAVFORCEN Also Helps

Aside from its naval rescue operations, the Naval Force Central (NAVFORCEN) yesterday delivered cadaver bags to Cagayan De Oro and Iligan.

NAVFORCEN chief, Commodore Zyril Carlos said they the bags, which will arrive at the typhoon-stricken cities tonight, are what the cities needed the most.

Immediately after learning about the tragedy, Carlos said they dispatched a team of special warfare personnel with rubber boats to the area.

The team helped in the recovery of bodies as well as in the rescue of the survivors. Their ship is also the first to arrive in Cagayan for the rescue, he said.

“Even though the cities are no longer part of our jurisdiction, we feel there’s no really boundary in the middle of the sea. So helping out tayo,” Carlos said. — with Gregg Rubio and Niña G. Sumacot/NLQ (FREEMAN)