REPRESENTATIVES from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) personally visited the provincial and municipal officials of Davao del Norte to comprehensively discuss the impact of the recent trough of the low-pressure area (LPA) and the shear line in the province on Monday morning, March 11, 2024.
The event marks the first significant on-the-ground visit of the independent and American-based humanitarian organization since the province was battered by the combined effects of the calamities last January 28, which extended until February 3.
Based on the presented final summary of damages and effects from the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA), the weather system affected 168,873 families or 723,097 individuals from three cities, seven municipalities, and 150 barangays.
Meanwhile, around P1,040,085,340.69 worth of agricultural damages were reported affecting 14,884 farmers.
In a roundtable discussion, Ben Hemingway, Regional Humanitarian Director of the USAID - Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, said that the agency will lead in the distribution of multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to the residents of the most vulnerable communities and the general rehabilitation of the entire province, particularly on the agriculture sector and infrastructure projects.
This is primarily in line with USAID’s billion-dollar investment every year across the country in developing and elevating the socio-economic condition of Filipinos and improving the quality of education through strategic programs.
“Our recovery assistance covers far beyond the initial life-saving phase so that’s what we will see today. How was the recovery going? What are the needs and wants of everyone?” the official said.
The USAID through the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has also visited the municipality of Carmen, Davao del Norte for the distribution of the P10,000 cash assistance to the identified and highly vulnerable households and relief goods operations in Mawab, Davao de Oro through the non-government organization, Action Against Hunger.
To recall, the Department of Agriculture - Davao Region (DA-Davao) reported a total agricultural production loss of P1.194 billion wherein Davao del Norte was identified as the most affected, with a production loss of P921 million, followed by Davao de Oro at P186 million, Davao Oriental at P80 million, and Davao City at P6 million. DEF
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