P3M financial aid, P2M in pledges for Naga landslide victims

Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong receives the 1 million check from the Talisay City government as donation for the survivors and the families affected by the landslide in Naga City. | Lito Tecson

FINANCIAL assistance continued to pour into the Naga City government for the victims of the massive Sept. 20 landslide involving two barangays in the city.

On Wednesday, a total of P3 million cash donation was handed over by those in the private sector and the Talisay City government to the Naga City government.

A delegation of the Talisay City government led by Mayor Eduardo Gullas Sr., Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. (Cebu 1st district), and Vice Mayor Allan Bucao handed a P1 million check to Naga City Mayor Kristine Chiong.

All of them wore black T-shirts with a print that says: Help! Naga-hangyo, Naga-ampo.

Bucao said the Talisay City Council on Tuesday authorized their mayor to release P1 million from the city government’s Quick Response Funds. “We have consulted our budget officer and he said P1 million is enough,” said Bucao.

They also provided several relief goods such as food packs and clothes for the thousands of evacuees.

A few hours after the Talisay City government handed their P1 million, representatives from SPC or Salcon Power Corp. and Kepco Power Corp., two companies running a power plant in Naga City, gave separate P1 million checks for the landslide victims to Chiong.

Jong Ryoon Yoon, Kepco Power Corp. CEO and president, and Sang Hun Lee, Kepco’s manager for planning and finance, and Dennis Villareal, SPC president, turned over the checks to Chiong.

Chiong said the majority of the funds would be spent for the maintenance of evacuation centers.

“Immediate need is on sustaining the evacuation centers. (Preparing) the relocation, according to the NHA (National Housing Authority) may take up to six months for the first phase,” said Chiong.

“So the cash will be used primarily to sustain the evacuation centers,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Lapu-Lapu City government also pledged to give a P2 million donation for the landslide victims.

“Nakita man sad nato pila ka tawo ug ang damage nga nahimo (We saw the victims and the damage the landslide had brought). We were just doing some estimate kon pila ang makaya namo nga mada nga matabangan gyod nato (on how much we can give that would help them),” Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Radaza said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Radaza said that she would hand over the city’s P2 million donation to Chiong and that this financial assistance would be a big help to the landslide victims to build their new homes.

For Mandaue City, Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing also pledged P200,000 financial aid for the landslide victims.

“We’re in this together and we commit we’ll stay in with Naga until this whole ordeal is done,” he said in his Facebook post.

He instructed Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna to pass a resolution in the city council for the release of the budget for the financial aid.

Meanwhile, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) Cebu Chapter also decided to cancel the closing party for the KBP month and give the P100,000 budget for the party to the landslide victims.

Fr. Bobby Ebisa, KBP president, said he deemed it proper to donate the money and sympathize with the victims instead of pushing through with the party.