Saturday, December 23, 2006 Flash floods damage pegged at P5.8M By Roberto L. Bacasong
THE Bacolod City Government, through the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD), continue to extend relief goods and financial assistance to Wednesday's flood victims.
City Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairman of the committee on finance and appropriations, said the council released P5 million in financial assistance to the flood victims Thursday.
Espino said the release of the amount was unanimously approved by the City Council during its regular session Wednesday.
Councilor Homer Bais said the financial assistance was taken from the City's P32 million Calamity Fund.
Bais said the fund will be used for the reconstruction of the damaged houses, and declogging of the drainage system among others.
He said the badly hit barangays will avail of relief and financial assistance.
These are Barangays Mandalagan, Bata, Taculing, Singcang-Airport, 1, 12, 8, 11, 40, 39, Handumanan, Villamonte, Mansilingan, 21 and Banago.
Earlier, the council declared the entire city under a state of calamity following the flash flood that hit almost 30 barangays and affected more than 2,000 families.
As of this posting, DSSD officer-in-charge Sally Abelarde said the number of affected families has increased to 3,461 while the estimated damage was pegged at P5.8 million.
Also, her office recorded 105 houses ruined and 3,356 houses partially damaged.
Abelarde said that 237 families are still occupying the evacuation centers.
These include the Domingo Lacson National High School in Banago with 150 families, Bacolod City National High School in Taculing with 7 families, and Andres Bonifacio Elementary School with 80 families.
Abelarde said the DSSD continues to distribute canned goods, noodles, bread, and packs of rice among others.
Meanwhile, Cesar Villa, head of the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC), scored some of the village officials in Bacolod for failing to do their respective duties and responsibilities on the situation.
Villa said that flood victims were the ones monitoring the situation and acting on the problem instead of their respective barangay officials.
He said he will refer the complaints of the residents to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for proper action.
Villa stressed that it is the duty of village officials to disseminate information whether there is a need for evacuation instead of the other way around.
He assured residents that all rescue units in Bacolod, including the Philippine National Red Cross, are always ready to give assistance when the need arise.
