THE City Government of Davao provided calamity assistance of about P3 million to Local Government Units (LGUs) that declared a State of Calamity due to the eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz said that the 20th City Council approved the calamity assistance worth P3.8 million for the LGUs that were heavily affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on January 28, 2025.
“Kani atoang calamity assistance or financial assistance, this is the first ever for fiscal year 2025 and dili pa ta mabalaka kay daghan pa kaayo ta og igong pondo para magamit pa nato sa atoang Quick Response Fund [QRF] (This calamity assistance or financial assistance is the first ever for fiscal year 2025, and there's no need to worry because we still have sufficient funds that can be used from our Quick Response Fund),” she told the media on Tuesday morning, February 4, 2025, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Ortiz, who chairs the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, and Appropriations, said that under the approved budget, the QRF has an appropriation of P212 million. After deducting the P3.8 million, the councilor said that the city still has sufficient funds to provide aid to other provinces, municipalities, or cities should other calamities occur.
She said that it is better to provide help to LGUs in need, and assisting other areas has been the city’s tradition even during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The LGUs that will be receiving the calamity assistance are the Province of Negros Oriental (P1 million), the Province of Negros Occidental (P1 million), the City of Canlaon (P500,000), the City of La Carlota (P500,000), the City of Bago (P500,000), and the Municipality of Vallehermoso (P300,000).
“This financial aid is meant to support their respective relief and rehabilitation programs, aiming to alleviate the living conditions of the affected victims and communities,” Ortiz wrote in the document provided to the media.
To recall, Mt. Kanlaon erupted on December 9, 2024, causing millions of pesos worth of damages in Western Visayas. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that as of December 31, 2024, about 12,043 families in 26 villages in Western Visayas and Central Visayas were affected. Of this, 4,420 families are in evacuation centers, while the remaining 2,191 are receiving aid outside the centers. RGP