Capitol to Give Cash Assistance to Typhoon Victims

Governor Hilario P. Davide III announced that the Cebu Provincial Government will give financial assistance to the victims who lost their homes to typhoon Seniang.

“That’s (financial assistance) our intention,” Gov. Davide told the media last January 5 at the Capitol.

Owners of totally damaged houses will receive Php 10,000. For those partially damaged houses, the owners will receive Php 5,000.

Many houses, most of them made of light materials, were washed away by floods upon the onslaught of the typhoon last December 29-30.

Davide believesd that the cash assistance is the fastest assistance they can provide to the victims in need of new homes.

In the initial report submitted to the Capitol, there were 48 totally damaged and 82 partially damaged houses in the municipality of Ronda, south of Cebu. Data from other barangays in the town is still unavailable.

The heavy rains and flooding in Dumanjug also completely destroyed 82 houses and left 90 partially damaged. Dumanjug has 37 barangays but only 21 barangays have submitted their reports yet.

The clearing operations led by the Capitol continued as some barangays are still isolated, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

In the second district, Congressman Wilfredo Caminero said the vegetable highway from Mompeller, Argao town to Papan, Sibonga is also not passable. He said the road is very critical as an alternative road to the coastal national highway especially with the destruction of Dumlog Bridge.

But due to continuous rain, the vegetable highway also suffered damage. Caminero said there are still vehicles stuck up in the area as of January 5.

With the two highways down, Sibonga Mayor Lionel Bacaltos agreed to let trucks pass the alternative road in Simala, Sibonga to restart the delivery of goods. The small road has been the only access going to the southeast coastal towns in the province in the aftermath of the typhoon Seniang.

The road will be open from 101 p.m. to 53 a.m. to trucks not carrying more than 20 tons.
Caminero said the situation has greatly affected the economic trade in the eight isolated towns in the south.

He said the towns of Argao, Dalaguete, and Oslob are running out of diesel and gasoline. Crops from the mountain barangays in Dalaguete and Argao that are bound to Cebu City have decayed faster than it could reach the market.

Caminero, who met with Davide, said they don’t expect the Department of Public Works and Highways to finish the construction of steel bridge in place of damaged concrete Dumlog Bridge in one week. But they can help lessen the agony of the people in the south by urging the contractors to work 24 hours.

“Pero ug maundang silag alas singko ug mobalik alas otso sunod adlaw (But if they stop at 5 p.m. and report at 8 a.m. the next day), that’s very bad,” he said.

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