Gov’t agencies assures President Duterte of swift disaster response in CARAGA
Government
agencies spearheading relief efforts have assured President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
on Tuesday that they have enough resources to address the damage brought by
Tropical Storm Auring in the CARAGA Region.
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President Rodrigo
Roa Duterte convenes with members of his Cabinet and local government officials
of Surigao del Sur to assess the extent of the damage of Tropical Storm Auring
that recently hit the Caraga region as well as discuss the response and relief efforts
being given to affected areas at the Villa Maria Luisa Hotel in Tandag City,
Surigao del Sur on February 23, 2021. The meeting was held after the President
conducted an aerial inspection of affected areas in Surigao del Norte and
Surigao del Sur. KING RODRIGUEZ/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Avisado
reported that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has P1 billion; Department of
the Interior and Local Government-Bureau of Fire Protection (DILG-BFP), P50
million; DILG-PNP, P50 million; Department of National Defense-Office of Civil
Defense (DND-OCD), P500 million; Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
P1 billion; and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), P1.2
billion.
He
said other departments have programs that enable them to provide immediate
assistance such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of
Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Department
of Energy (DOE).
“As
a whole, it’s really the whole-of-government approach that we are adopting so
that we can respond immediately to situations,” Avisado said.
“Despite that, even if there will be
additional damages, the situation here is not comparable to the extent of the
damage caused by Typhoons Quinto, Rolly and Ulysses. The damages then were
massive," he added.
Based
on the report of the Office of Civil Defense and DSWD, the Office of the
President was able to give additional funds directly to the local government
units (LGUs) to augment their calamity funds, according to Avisado.
Social
Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista also reported that the
department has already provided family food packs to the survivors.
A
total of 15,000 family food packs was prepositioned in Surigao del Sur and some
8,000 packs were brought to CARAGA field office for distribution. An additional
7,000 family food packs will be arriving Wednesday.
Bautista
told the President that the department has allotted P22.09 million for its
standby fund and for the department’s stockpiles that include both food and
non-food items. He said that the DSWD also has P459.8 million QRF that could be
used in case there is fund shortage.
Some
3,658 families affected by the storm will receive P3,000 each. Families whose
houses were totally damaged will get P30,000 each. For the partially damaged,
they will be given 15,000 each, according to the social welfare chief.
In
addition, DOLE will provide 30 motorized fiberglass bancas for every
municipality in Surigao del Sur. At the same time, the labor department will
spearhead an emergency employment program for 10 days to 250 workers who will
be receiving minimum wage rate, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said. Every
municipality in the province could avail DOLE’s emergency employment scheme.
Meanwhile,
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said that livelihood support funds such as loans
would be provided to 1,000 small businesses affected by the storm.
“So doon naman ho may assessment tayo para
babalikan natin ‘yan after one week kung anong tulong ang kailangan. Usually
pautang o kaya ‘yong outright livelihood support fund. Puhunan ho ito. Iyong
mga gamit na puwede nang paninda. So ‘yon ibibigay ho natin,” Lopez explained.
Also
on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary William Dar handed over P217.9 million worth
of agricultural interventions to the provincial government of Surigao del Sur.
The
weather disturbance, which inundated most of the CARAGA Region, affected a
total of 29,000 families or 112,734 individuals, the National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported.
A
six-year-old child was reported to have drowned in Claver, Surigao del Norte,
and authorities said there were four missing and two injuries. Three of those
who remain unaccounted for were fishermen who ventured at sea in Bislig,
Surigao del Sur. PND
