In 2013 City spent P41M in calamity aid

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government has spent more than P41 million calamity assistance last year, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS).

Ester Concha, DSWS chief, said they were able to extend assistance to the victims of 48  fire incidents in the city amounting to P31,705,857.41 and of  the collision between the passenger ship MV St. Thomas Aquinas of 2GO Shipping and cargo vessel Sulpicio Express Siete amounting to P1,115,280.

Concha said they also gave assistance to victims in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake last October 15 in Cebu and Bohol amounting to P3,975,350; and to victims of super typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8 amounting to P4,274,479.

The total expenditures of P41,070,966.41 were charged to the 30 percent of the city’s Quick Response Fund of P60,634,508.66 last year.

Concha said had the city government spent last year’s 70 percent of the QRF of P141,480,520 to mitigating measures, the actual quick response spending could not have reached P41 million.

She said some barangay roads that are prone to fire have to be widened as soon as possible for easy access.

“Minus matarog ang 30 percent sa quick response budget kay prepared naman ta,” Concha pointed out in a press briefing yesterday.

This year, the city has a budget of P68,004,283.93 for QRF and P158,676,662.62 for disaster preparedness to fuel this year’s operation and response to  calamities.

Meanwhile, the DSWS is going to launch a “Cash Card System” program that will be piloted to persons with disabilities (PWDs) this year.

Each PWD would receive P5,000 cash assistance yearly from the city government.

Concha said if the program will be found to be effective, the system will also be adopted to senior citizens.  The DSWS still has to coordinate with several banks in the city.

Based on the record of DSWS, there were 9,385 re-gistered PWDs last year but only 8,619 were able to receive their P5,000 assistance with a total of  P43,095,000.

A total of 59,353 senior citizens received last year’s assistance of P10,000 each totaling to P593,530,000, However, only 58,166 got the assistance amounting to P531,660,000. 

Concha said that others who have not claimed maybe dead already or have already migrated to other places.

Likewise, at least 25,136 students in 68 public elementary schools were subjected to feeding program under the P10 million budget  of  the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the city’s Accelerated Social Amelioration Program (ASAP).

“Daily feeding sa school para di makarason ang studyante nga mo-absent. So ang local and national government nagtambayayong alang sa maong programa,” Concha said. — (FREEMAN)