Personnel from MECO work on a toppled post in this photo taken just days after super typhoon Odette hit Lapu-Lapu City. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Government will be allocating a supplemental budget of P165 million to be given as financial aid to families whose houses were partially or slightly damaged by super typhoon Odette.
Lawyer Jamaal James Calipayan, Mandaue City Administrator, said Mayor Jonas Cortes requested to have a supplemental budget so that other affected residents could receive financial assistance.
Calipayan said only P52 million was given by the National Government that will be distributed to over 12,000 severely affected low-income families.
He said in the city, there are still over 48,000 partially affected families that were not qualified to receive the national government’s assistance.
He said the beneficiaries will be given P3,000. He said there would still be qualifications like having a monthly income of P8,000 or less, among others.
Calipayan said those who have already repaired their houses can still qualify to get the assistance as long as they can provide proof of low monthly income.
He said for those who have not taken a picture of their house, their neighbors can attest. Moreover, those who will verify the beneficiaries are
who know who are those affected by the typhoon.
City Treasurer Atty. Regal Oliva said the funds came from the P300 million excess tax collection last year.
Calipayan said as Odette hit Cebu in mid-December it was too late to allocate a budget for financial assistance as the city’s annual budget for 2022 was already passed by the city council.
Oliva said the financial assistance may be distributed three weeks from now as they already passed the supplemental budget to the Sangguniang Panlungsod. It will then go through the first, second, and third readings.
Oliva said the payrolls are already prepared, it’s just that they need the funds and the ordinance for proper allocation. /rcg
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