PB Approves Financial Aid for Naga
Gov. Hilario P. Davide III announced that the Provincial Government will extend P1 million as financial assistance to the local government of the City of Naga, Cebu, and P10,000 each to the families who lost their loved ones in the Sept. 20 tragic landslide.
Davide made the announcement after the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) approved the two resolutions authorizing the governor for the release of the funds during their out-of-town session held at the Cordova municipal social hall last Monday.
The P1-million financial assistance will help defray the expenses of the City in their search, rescue and retrieval operations, as well as relief and rehabilitation efforts.
It will be chargeable to the Office of the Governor to be blockfunded and released to the City Treasurer’s Office of Naga.
For the P10,000 assistance, the resolution stated that the amount is chargeable against any available appropriation in the 2018 annual budget.
Another resolution was approved during the PB session extending the Capitol’s condolences and sympathies to the families whose loved ones perished in the early morning landslide in Barangay Tinaan, Naga, that left 60 people dead (as of press time), 28 people missing, and 18 others injured.
The PB also decided to invite, through a separate resolution, the officials or representatives from the Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, and League of Municipalities (LMP) Cebu Chapter under the leadership of Mayor Democrito Diamante of Tuburan town.
They are requested to appear before the PB session on Oct. 8 to shed light on some issues surrounding the tragedy.
Diamante was invited so that the PB could get some feedbacks from other local government units where some areas in their localities have also been declared landslide-prone.
Also invited for the Oct. 15 session are officials of Apo Cement, Apo Land and Quarry Corporation, Naga Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong, and Tinaan Barangay Captain Teodoro Cantal.
All the four resolutions were passed by the PB in mass motion. These are authored by Vice Gov. Agnes A. Magpale and PB Members Raul Bacaltos and Yolly Daan, who represent the first district of Cebu in the board.
PB Member Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano was added as co-author in the fourth resolution being the chairperson of the committee on environment and natural resources. (CEBU PROVINCIAL GOV’T)
