DAVAO CITY—The chief of city’s Central 911 has turned over P5 million in cash assistance from the Davao City local government to survivors of Typhoon “Lawin” in Northern Luzon.
Emmanuel Jaldon distributed the financial assistance to typhoon-hit provinces such as Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Apayao, and Kalinga.
“The entire visit was a complete success,” he said. “They were all so grateful for the help of the city, they were happy for the assistance and that it was handed to them personally.”
“The most affected area was Tuguegarao. You can really see the effect of Lawin,” Jaldon added.
Jaldon’s team handed out P1.8 million to Cagayan Valley; P900,000 to Ilocos Norte; P200,000 to La Union; P150,000 to Apayao; P350,000 to Mountain Province; and P1.6 million to Kalinga.
Earlier, the Department of Labor and Employment released an initial P35 million in financial assistance for those who were displaced by the typhoon in Northern Luzon.
Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the P30 million will cover at least 69,000 families of overseas Filipino workers while the remaining P5 million will be for emergency employment assistance for some 1,600 workers displaced by the typhoon in Cagayan Valley.
He said labor officials in Region 2 are now profiling the affected workers.
“Although this is just temporary employment, this will provide our workers and their families immediate relief from the calamity by giving them income, and at the same time enlist them for the rehabilitation, clearing and cleaning of their affected communities,” Bello said.
“Emergency employment can also be created through the repair and restoration of damaged infrastructure or rehabilitation of basic service facilities, including rural works, such as the clearing of canals and waterways and cleanup of public spaces,” he added.
Displaced workers who will be hired under the emergency employment program will be paid the prevailing minimum wage rate in the region which is P300 per day, or a total of P3,000 per worker for a 10-day period.
Meanwhile, Bello said representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Regions 1, 2, and the Cordillera Administrative Region are validating the actual number of OFW families affected by the typhoon.
“The P30 million will just be an initial wave of assistance to the surveyed families of OFWs who were affected by the super typhoon. We will be working out the release of more financial assistance to them once concerned government agencies shall have submitted their complete report on the actual number of families affected and the extent of the damage they suffered as well as the kind of assistance they need,” he said