CEBU Sixth District Rep. Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon will be urging Congress to set aside funds for the rebuilding of areas hit by Typhoon Odette.
In a statement she sent to SunStar Cebu on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, Dizon said the government’s additional response to the typhoon should be the focus of Congress’ work once they resume sessions first thing next year.
“Depending on the final assessment of the extent of the damage later on, we hope Congress, when it resumes session, will take a look at what it can do to put efforts so livelihoods will be restored, farms and infrastructures can rise again, among others,” Dizon added.
As she noted the devastation caused by the typhoon as “heart wrenching,” Dizon said she is grateful that many in the private sector are helping with the supplies of potable water and food which they immediately distributed to the affected households.
She also praised the work of local government units (LGUs) who are leading the post-disaster efforts.
Dizon’s constituency covers Mandaue City and the municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova.
Like Dizon, other congressional representatives from Cebu were also busy in providing relief to their constituents who were affected by Typhoon Odette.
In Cebu’s Fifth District, Rep. Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco said they have started distributing close to P2 million in immediate cash assistance to affected residents in Danao City and the municipalities of Liloan and Compostela, who were severely affected during the typhoon.
The cash aid was sourced out from personal and donated funds.
Frasco told SunStar Cebu that additional cash aid will be given during the first quarter of 2022.
Aside from cash aid, Frasco said they also distributed over 80,000 bottled water and over 2,000 canned goods as relief assistance in the three affected LGUs.
He also shared that he utilized their own water tanker to distribute free drinking water to various barangays in the town of Liloan, where his wife, Christina Garcia-Frasco is the mayor.
The congressman said over 2,000 households were destroyed in the town of Liloan while over 20,000 households were recorded as damaged due to the typhoon.
He, however, has no exact data for Compostela and Danao City as of this writing.
As per report of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Frasco noted that the typhoon left almost P180 million damage to public infrastructures such as roads, schools, among others in the three abovementioned LGUs.
He said they already submitted such a report to the DPWH Central Office in Manila to request for assistance.
In Lapu-Lapu City, lone district Rep. Paz Radaza said her office had released at least 50,000 relief packs to typhoon-affected families in her city as of Dec. 29.
In a statement she posted on her Facebook page, Radaza said that apart from her personal funds, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco has also given assistance amounting P500,000, which is why they were able to purchase the number of relief packs. (MKG)