MANILA, Philippines — The United States government will be providing an additional P37.3 million worth of assistance to families who lost their homes and livelihood in the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong (international name Mangkhut) last September.
This brings the total assistance of the American government to Typhoon Ompong victims ts P42.5 million, the US Embassy said in a media release.
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Through the US Agency for International Development, the funding will provide six months of emergency home rental assistance for 375 families in Benguet who were displaced by landslides.
In partnership with World Vision, the funding will also be used to buy seeds for 1,400 small-scale farmers in Cagayan for them to plant new crops.
"The US government is honored to provide shelter, to support the reestablishment of livelihoods, and to walk alongside those in need on their road to recovery," US Embassy to the Philippines Deputy Chief of Mission John Law said.
Law met families in Itogon, Benguet who were affected by the landslides, along with Mayor Victorio Palangdan, Manny Flores of the Diocesan Social Action Center and representatives from Catholic Relief Services.
Dozens were buried under the mud following a massive landslide triggered by the typhoon in the mining town of Itogon two months ago.
Washington was among the first to respond when the disaster hit northern Luzon, providing hygiene supplies for 5,500 people who were displaced in Cagayan.
The US government also initially provided 1,000 metric tons of food to disaster-stricken families in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the United Nations World Food Programme.