Super Typhoon Odette-affected families gather at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex on Monday, Oct. 16, to receive the cash aid from the National Housing Authority. | CDND photo / Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – A total of 12,500 Mandauehanons are set to receive Super Typhoon Odette financial assistance, according to an official of the National Housing Authority in Central Visayas (NHA-7).
Mandaue City residents, who were severely affected by Odette, but were not listed in the first tranche of the cash aid, need not worry because they will still be included in the succeeding tranches, NHA-7 Regional Manager Engr. Rizalindo Cabahug said.
Cabahug said that another round of distribution for the succeeding batches will be scheduled after the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30.
NHA is giving out cash assistance amounting to P10,000 to families affected by the calamity that hit on December 16, 2021.
On Monday, Oct. 16, NHA started the distribution of the first tranche of the cash aid. This will continue until Thursday, Oct. 19.
A total of 4, 000 beneficiaries will receive aid from NHA during the first tranche.
‘Buslot pa man to’
Fe Bancale of Barangay Bakilid was one of the recipients of the NHA cash assistance on Monday.
Bancale said she will use the money to buy new GI sheets to replace their roof that was blown away by the super typhoon.
Since the typhoon, her family had been using used GI sheets, that would leak every time it would rain, for their temporary roof.
“Ipalit [ko ni og bag-o] kay buslot pa man to. Medyo dugay [ang release sa assistance] pero okay ra basta lang naay madawat,” said Bancale.
Beneficiaries
According to Cabahug their list of beneficiaries was based on the report that they received from the barangays and the city government.
Prioritization was given to families whose homes were either totally or badly damaged by Odette.
Cabahug said the same cash assistance will also be given after the BSKE to residents of the other localities in Cebu and the rest of the region who were also badly affected by Odette. These will include those who are in the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cebu and the southern parts of Cebu Province, among others.
The NHA-7 official admitted that they experienced delays in the processing of the cash aid also because of the volume of requests that their office received.
“Actually medyo, dili makaya sa NHA mismo. Kani [distribution] gani ron, mao nang nag-augment mi og personnel coming from the city government, social welfare. Kung kami ani, [unya] 4,000 ka book, ambot lang magkatumamo gyud mi ani,” said Cabahug.
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