THE Cebu Provincial Government will extend P20 million in financial assistance to local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao that have been affected by the earthquakes that have struck Cotabato and its neighboring provinces since Oct. 16, 2019.
The Provincial Board (PB) on Monday, Nov. 4, approved en masse a resolution authorizing Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to extend the cash aid on behalf of the Provincial Government.
The amount will be charged against the preparedness fund of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
The measure was filed by 6th district PB Member Glenn Anthony Soco, who heads the committee on budget and appropriation. PB Members Andrei Duterte and Jose Mari Salvador co-sponsored the measure.
In an interview, Garcia said the cash aid will be divided among the eight LGUs in Regions 11 and 12 with the most number of affected families.
Beneficiaries include the towns of Makilala, Tulunan and Magpet and Kidapawan City in Region 12.
Beneficiaries from Region 11 are the towns of Magsaysay, Matanao and Bansalan and Digos City.
Based on reports from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Makilala has the most number of quake victims with 20,704 families, or 103,520 individuals.
The town will get the biggest slice of the pie in the financial assistance from the Capitol at P7 million.
Tulunan and Magsaysay will both get P3 million. Tulunan recorded 3,659 affected families while Magsaysay declared 3,215 affected families.
Kidapawan and Magpet will each get P2 million.
Kidapawan and Magpet recorded 2,099 and 2,024 affected families, respectively.
Matanao, Bansalan and Digos, meanwhile, will each get P1 million.
Matanao, Bansalan and Digos recorded 1,309; 1,185; and 1,120 affected families, respectively.
“We should help them. We really consider them our brothers and sisters,” Garcia said.
The Talisay City Government will also be sending financial assistance to survivors of the earthquakes.
Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. has asked the City Council to approve a resolution on this matter during its session on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Although no amount has been decided yet, Gullas assured that the City will help.
Gullas said he has spoken with the governors of Davao del Sur and North Cotabato about the City’s plan.
The City launched “Aksyon Agad Tabang” and set up a drop-off point at the Command Center inside the Talisay City Hall compound.
He urged the public to donate rice, canned goods, noodles, biscuits, bottled water, blankets and hygiene kits.
In another development, the PB passed a resolution urging all LGUs in the Province through their respective Office of the Building Official and Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection, to review and intensify occupancy and fire safety enforcement.
The measure was filed by 6th District Board Member Thadeo Jovito Ouano, who heads the committee on public safety, peace and order.
Ouano said recent fire incidents in Metro Cebu and the Mindanao quakes should be taken as lessons to ensure that structures in the province are disaster-resilient. (RTF, FMD of SuperBalita Cebu, PJB)