DSWD Releases Shelter Assistance to Medellin

The Department of Social Welfare and Development released on Thursday, March 5, 2015 the shelter assistance worth Php 211, 580,000.00 to Medellin town through the Municipal Mayor Ricardo Ramirez after the local government submitted its final and validated list of beneficiaries on February 26, 2015.

Regional Director Mercedita Jabagat handed the check to Mayor Ramirez in a simple turn over in her office at DSWD Field Office VII.

The said amount will benefit 5,333 families whose houses were partially damaged and 5,275 families whose houses were totally damaged by Typhoon Yolanda.

“The list of beneficiaries emanated from the local government units and signed by the respective mayors. Our office did not do the listing of ESA beneficiaries,” clarified Director Jabagat.

Jabagat also clarified that the Disaster Assistance and Family Access Card or DAFAC is not the assistance that the victims will receive.

DAFAC is a card issued by the LGU to victims of disaster indicating the general information of the family head and its members and the assistance provided to/received by the family from various providers. Through the DAFAC one can monitor if the family is underserved or overserved. It confirms that a family is a victim of disaster and is eligible to receive relief assistance.

In the provision of assistance, the government does not discriminate beneficiaries but it has its policies and guidelines to follow for the effective implementation of its programs and services.

The DSWD has been implementing Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) for the past years and provided P10,000 for totally damaged house and P5,000 for partially damaged house and those who can avail are families with income P10,000 and below.

Because of the magnitude of the damage caused by typhoon Yolanda, the DSWD came up with guidelines solely for the implementation of Yolanda ESA on November 21, 2014.

“The DSWD VII has conducted orientations and discussions about the guidelines with the concerned affected local government units and another schedule is set within this March 2015 to help these LGUs explain the guidelines to the people,” Jabagat said.

In the guidelines, the amount of assistance is increased from P10, 000 to P30,000 for totally damaged house and from P5,000 to P10,000 for partially damaged house. In the new guidelines the family with an income of 15,000 and below will receive the assistance.

At present, the agency stands by the appropriateness of its guidelines on the implementation of the ESA project for Typhoon Yolanda survivors with partially and totally damaged houses.

According to Director Jabagat, the Yolanda ESA guidelines ensure that only those who are most in need and have no immediate resources to rebuild their homes are given the assistance.

Jabagat said beneficiaries of the ESA under the guidelines are families who have no permanent source of income or whose income is below the poverty threshold of the region; those whose houses were either partially or totally damaged and who have not received a similar assistance from other agencies or non-government institutions.

Moreover, regular employees of government and private corporations with salary below P15, 000 are also eligible as long as they are included in the master list of DSWD-Disaster Assistance Family Access Card (DAFAC).

The DSWD upheld its stand on not including those receiving a salary of more than P15, 000 because they have the capacity to access other sources and to rebuild their houses.

“Many are affected by Yolanda and DSWD knows that the people will understand that those who do not have a regular source of livelihood need the shelter assistance the most,” expressed Director Jabagat.

Director Jabagat said these guidelines are meant to ensure that the right beneficiaries will be provided the needed housing assistance. She also said this set limitations in the guidelines is in consideration to the fund available for the program.

In the guidelines, those living in danger zones are also not included as beneficiaries, because they are being assisted by the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

On December 29, 2014, the DSWD VII received the P1, 909,630,000 intended for ESA in the nine (9) Yolanda-stricken towns and one city in Cebu. This amount is under the Modified Disbursement System and is in the Treasury Account and do not earn interest.

The breakdown of the more than P1.9 billion is as follows: Madridejos got P125.7 million for 1,425 families with partially damaged houses and 5,930 families with totally damaged houses; Santa Fe got P95.8 million for 2,536 families with partially damaged houses and 2,349 families with totally damaged houses; Bantayan, P375.8 million for 7,681 families with partially damaged houses and 9,969 families with totally damaged houses; Medellin, P211.5 million for 5,333 and 5,275 families with partially and totally damages houses; Daanbantayan with P425.7 million for the 3,626 families with partially damaged houses and 12,987 families with totally damaged houses; San Remegio, P188.1 million for 7,449 families whose houses are partially damaged and 3,788 families with totally damaged houses; Tabogon with P103.7 million for the 4,568 families with partially damaged houses and 1,937 families with totally damaged houses; Borbon with P99.2 million for the 6 families with partially damaged houses and 3,305 with totally damaged houses.

The city of Bogo has P283.6 million for the 7,692 families with partially damaged houses and 6,890 families whose houses were totally damaged.

Mayors Salvador Dela Fuente of Madridejos, Augusto Corro of Daanbantayan, and Jose Esgana of Santa Fe claimed the shelter assistance on February 2, 4, and 10, respectively.

The towns of San Remegio, Tabogon and Borbon and the city of Bogo still have lacking documents based on the records of DSWD-VII. As of this time, the town of Bantayan did not claim the shelter assistance. (Leah Tagalo-Quintana, Regional Information Officer, DSWD VII)