DEMETRIO Sabala, 81, was the oldest person seen inside the covered court of Alcantara waiting to receive the P5,000 cash from the Cebu Provincial Government intended for typhoon Seniang survivors.
Sabala’s house in Barangay Poblacion was damaged after it was struck by heavy flood at the height of the typhoon last Dec. 30.
Sabala was one of 77 beneficiaries in the midwestern town to receive financial assistance.
P10T, P5T
Gov. Hilario Davide III, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and Provincial Board Member Peter John Calderon distributed last Wednesday P3 million in cash aid to Seniang survivors in Alcantara, Ronda and Dumanjug. Alcantara Mayor Beatrice Caburnay assisted them.
Families whose houses were destroyed received P10,000, while those whose houses were damaged received P5,000.
In Alcantara, the flood destroyed 15 houses and damaged 62.
Sabala said he has yet to start repairs on his house.
“Wa man ko kapaayo kay wa man koy kwarta (I don’t have money to get it done),” he said.
He recalled that he was alone when the typhoon struck and the water rose.
“Nagpaduol ko sa pultahan kay kung maanod man gani ang balay mokapyot dayn ko ngadto sa punoan sa mangga (I was by the door the whole time so that if the house was washed away by the flood, I could hold on to the mango tree),” Sabala said, adding that it was the worst flood he experienced.
Dry spell victims
Davide and the rest of the officials proceeded to Barangay Cabilisan and distributed 100 food packs to farmers, who were affected by the dry spell.
Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena said they also distributed 200 packs of vegetable seeds for the nine barangays in the town.
Leon Sambrana, 79, a farmer from Barangay Lawaan, said he planted corn after it rained last May 3.
However, he has no harvest because his crops died.
Sambrana received three kilos of rice, two packs of noodles, four canned sardines, two bottled water and a pack of eggplant seeds.
In Ronda, 90 families with destroyed houses and 131 families with damaged ones received aid.
Ronda Mayor Mariano Blanco III and Vice Mayor Jonnah John Ungab thanked the Capitol officials for delivering the aid.
Ungab said the town also gave financial and burial assistance to affected families.
Verification
Rose Jao, consultant of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, said the distribution of assistance was delayed because it took them time to verify reports forwarded by the towns.
In Dumanjug, 61 families with destroyed houses and 76 with damaged houses went to the town’s covered court to accept their cash aid.
Beverly Ann Dela Cerna, a 35-year-old resident of Barangay Kang-actol, said she was woken by rising water past midnight.
She and her husband and their five children got to higher ground, bringing with them their cow, pig and goat.
Their house was gone the next day.