City Hall readies P7-M aid for Luzon

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said on Wednesday the City Government has allocated a total of P7,311,000 for the cities and towns in Luzon badly hit by floods.

In a hastily called press conference, Duterte-Carpio said the P7.3 million will be in a form of cash assistance amounting to P5,650,000; 7,000 packs of grocery items worth P1,050,000; and P611,000 for air freight cost.

The P5.6-million worth of cash assistance will be sent to villages outside Metro Manila identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Office (DSWD).

The 7,000 grocery packs will be sent to all cities and municipalities identified by the DSWD.

The mayor said the city opted to send the cash assistance to communities outside of Metro Manila because cities and barangays within Metro Manila are easily reached by the government and other charitable institutions.

"Ipauna nato ning mga food packs sa mga areas na wala pa nagahupa ang baha (We will prioritize areas especially those areas that are still flooded)," the mayor said.

On Wednesday evening, the first batch of the grocery packs has been sent to Manila accompanied by Reylando Tagle, of the city's Public Safety and Command Center (PSCC).

The P7.3 million was taken from the Davao City's calamity funds of P200,915,137.

Charito Santos, secretary to the City Council, told Sun.Star Davao that the Council has yet to pass an ordinance and resolution giving legislative authority for the donation.

Nine areas in Luzon that suffered heavy floods due to continuous rains on Tuesday have been placed under state of calamity.

As of Tuesday evening, the state of calamity was declared in the provinces of Bataan, Laguna, Pampanga, and Zambales; Cainta and San Mateo, both of Rizal province; and Valenzuela City, Malabon City, and Muntinlupa City, all of Metro Manila.

Alert status

Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio has placed the Davao City on alert status.

The mayor said she has tasked the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to monitor the status of the city's major river systems.

Duterte-Carpio said the city won't be sending its rescue teams to Luzon so that the city will be prepared for any calamity.

"I want all our officials and rescuers to be readily available here," Duterte-Carpio said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the mayor said that all of the city's major river systems are in normal water level.

The mayor, however, said residents especially those living near the creeks and rivers should remain vigilant.