Friday, July 11, 2008
11 towns, 3 cities in Panay to get City’s P1.7M aid
APART from the P4.6 million it spent for the action center, the Cebu City Government will be using P1.7 million of its calamity funds as financial aid for 14 towns and cities in Iloilo Province that were ravaged by typhoon Frank.
The City will give P200,000 each to the cities of Cadiz, Iloilo and Roxas to help them recover from the damages brought by typhoon Frank, which hit the country last month.
The towns of Pavia, Estancia, Carles, Dumangas, Janiuay, Mina, Sta. Barbara, Zarraga, Leganes, Cabatuan in Iloilo and Kalibo in Aklan will get P100,000 each.
Acting Mayor Michael Rama said the City can spare the amount despite its own financial woes, as it will help the officials of the localities respond to the disaster.
Three weeks after Frank caused floods and landslides in Iloilo, its officials are still struggling to help the families that were left homeless and have been forced to seek shelter in parks and gymnasiums.
Rama said it was Mayor Tomas Osmeña who recommended the financial assistance, which the City has been giving to calamity-stricken areas under the big brother program.
“The amount is not huge anyway, considering it will be distributed among the many local government units that have been greatly hurt by the typhoon. Ig-abot sa panahon nga kita na sad (When it’s our turn), we won’t expect anything in return, but we know that charity begets charity,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
During their session last Wednesday, the City Council approved to charge against the calamity funds a total of P1.7 million to cover the financial aid.
Last Friday, it also charged P5.8 million to the calamity funds for the operation of the City’s action center for the families of the victims of the mv Princess of the Stars sinking.
But last Wednesday, the council reduced to appropriation to P4.6 million after the Department of Social Welfare Services reduced the allocation for the packed meals from P3.6 million to P2.2 million.
The P4.6 million includes the expenses for packed meals, P1.5 million for the financial assistance to the dead victims and the survivors and P900,000 for the equipment and supplies used at the action center. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 11, 2008 issue)
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