THE Cebu City Government will extend financial assistance to the three towns in southern Cebu that were badly hit by typhoon Seniang.
Councilor Dave Tumulak said the City will give P300,000 each to the towns of Sibonga, Ronda and Alcantara. The assistance will be taken from the P10-million quick response fund of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC).
“Most probably, we can extend the financial assistance by next week after we complete all the processes needed,” said Tumulak, who also chairs the CCDRRMC.
He said the move was approved by CCDRRMC in a meeting presided by Mayor Michael Rama last Dec. 31.
Other towns, too
The City is also planning to extend financial help to the other towns in the south that were also affected by Seniang. The assistance will be given once the Cebu Provincial Government and Department of Social Welfare and Development completes its assessment and evaluation on who are really in need of assistance.
Also on Monday, the CCDRRMC will send heavy equipment to Ronda to help in the clearing operations there.
The City will be lending its bulldozer and two dump trucks to the town.
Tumulak said that based on the feedback they got from officials of Ronda, clearing in the area can’t proceed because they lack heavy equipment.
“We will augment,” he said.
Operators of heavy equipment owned by the Department of Public Works and Highways have yet to return from their holiday break, which was one of the reason for the delay of the clearing works, Tumulak added.
Three teams of disaster personnel headed by Simeon Romarate, executive director of CCDRRMC, were sent to Ronda immediately after the storm to help in the partial clearing operation in the area.
Eight buses owned by the City were also deployed before the new year to ferry stranded passengers to Ronda and Sibonga from the Cebu South Bus Terminal.