PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led on Monday, August 7, 2023, the distribution of fund assistance by various government agencies in the province of Pampanga, which was among the areas badly hit by Typhoons Egay and Falcon.
Marcos, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), distributed food packs to affected families, while 1,000 beneficiaries received P10,000 each under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program.
On top of the P30 million downloaded by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on August 4 to augment its regional office’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating mga Disadvantaged Workers (Tupad) Program, the agency provided another P2.3 million to 500 beneficiaries.
DOLE allocated P65 million more as standby funds for around 14,000 Tupad beneficiaries in Pampanga.
The agency also awarded P6.4 million worth of livelihood assistance under its DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP) to seven local government units (LGUs), such as Candaba, Macabebe, Masantol, Arayat, Porac, and Sta. Ana, Pampanga.
Marcos, secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), also awarded during the event a certificate worth P21.6 million to Pampanga that includes 13,354 bags of certified seeds worth P20.2 million to 8,723 farmer-beneficiaries; 186 bags of hybrid yellow corn and 15 bags of open-pollinated variety worth P1.1 million to 154 farmer-beneficiaries; and assorted vegetable seeds worth P230,000 to 162 farmer-beneficiaries.
Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda said a total of 2,111 families or 7,700 individuals remain in various evacuation centers in the province.
He said 275 barangays in 17 towns/municipalities were flooded due to the recent calamity.
Pineda said damage to agriculture and livestock was pegged at P874.81 million, including P534,68 million rice crops, P274.06 million fisheries, P34.96 million high-valued crops, P25.05 million cord and P6.07 million livestock.
The province also incurred P108.99 million worth of damage to infrastructure.
Marcos assured the continuous government support to the affected population in the province.
“Kaya po ‘yan po ang aking sadya rito ngayon. Kaya sana naman ay maayos ang ating pagbigay ng tulong sa ating mga kasama, sa ating mga kababayan na inabot nitong bagyong ito, saka ‘yung mga baha na naging resulta ng mga bagyo,” he said.
(So that's what I mean here today. That's why we hope that we will be able to give help to our comrades, to our countrymen who were affected by this typhoon, and also to the floods that were the result of the typhoons.)
“Kaya’t nandito lang po kami para tiyakin na maganda po ang patakbo. Mukha naman maayos ang patakbo ng ating pagbigay ng tulong sa mga nangangailangan. Nandito po ang pamahalaan ninyo at laging handa na tumulong sa lahat ng nangangailangan po,” he added.
(So we're just here to make sure it runs smoothly. It looks like we are doing well in providing help to those in need. Your government is here and always ready to help all those in need.) (SunStar Philippines)