AFTER two years since the series of earthquakes hit the towns in Davao del Sur in 2019, 36,270 victims of said calamity will finally receive shelter financial assistance and cash-for-work starting Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
Guesting in the One Davao Virtual Presser Wednesday, Project Development Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao (DSWD-Davao) Engineer Kris Sam Torralba announced that the DSWD-Davao has started distribution of the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) and Cash-for-work (CFW) in some barangays of Padada town, Davao del Sur.
Each of the identified families assessed to have a totally damage house caused by the earthquake will receive P30,000 as shelter assistance and P2,970 as cash-for-work. Those with partially damaged housed will receive P10,000 as shelter assistance and P1,485 as cash-for-work.
The DSWD-Davao just received the downloaded P571 million fund last September following the difficulty faced by the agency is looking for fund source as the entire country was also hit by a pandemic last year.
Said amount was allocated for the Comprehensive Aid to Repair of Earthquake Damage (Cared) following the series of earthquakes that struck Central Mindanao that caused landslides and destruction to infrastructures in the immediate and nearby regions, including the Province of Davao del Sur.
The DSWD highlighted that the series of earthquakes brought the already reeling local communities to devastation and suffering.
“Although evacuation centers were set up from the onset of the disaster to this day, such augmentation is never sufficient to cover up the loss of job, livelihood and shelter for the affected families,” Torralba said.
DSWD coming in for assistance is an initiative pursuant to the guidelines of RA 10121 or Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 and DSWD Administrative Order 15, series of 2008 – Guidelines on the Implementation of the Cash-for-Work (CFW) Project.
The DSWD-Davao stretched its schedule for payout starting Wednesday until December 2021.
Torralba said encouraged beneficiaries to coordinate with their barangay as to the exact payout schedule.
The DSWD ensures that we follow a schedule because we have a limited number of disbursement officers, and we need to comply with the Covid-19 protocols set by the LGU.
Municipalities covered by this assistance are Bansalan, Digos City, Hagonoy, Kiblawan, Magsaysay, Malalag, Matanao, and Padada, all from the Davao del Sur Province. (PR)