Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. CDN Digital photo by Niña Mae Oliverio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Government will be giving P7 million in financial aid to local government units (LGUs) affected by the Mt. Kanlaon eruption.
Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced this on Monday, June 10, during a press conference at the Cebu City Hall.
Garcia said that the aid, endorsed by the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), will support at least six affected localities in Negros Oriental and Occidental.
READ:
Kanlaon posts fewer volcanic quakes, sulfur dioxide flux – Phivolcs
Phivolcs alerts still up over Taal, Kanlaon volcanoes
Mt. Kanlaon eruption: No casualties reported so far says PRO-7
The following LGUs are the beneficiaries of the city’s cash aid:
Bago City – P1 million
La Carlota – P1 million
La Castellana – P1 million
Moises Padilla – P1 million
Pontevedra – P1 million
Canlaon City – P2 million
“Personal ko’ng moadto ug akong ihatod (cash assistance),” Garcia said.
As there is no regular session on June 12 because it is a holiday, Garcia plans to request a special session for the City Council to approve the financial aid.
“Of course it has always been the Cebu City Council has to approve this particular release of the financial assistance to the municipalities before we can actually process the giving of the check,” Garcia said.
The funds for this cash aid for the affected LGUs of the Kanlaon eruption, will be charged under the city’s Disaster Fund.
Garcia added there is also a chance that the amount will change once it reaches the council for deliberation.
“It can go up, it can go down depending on the City Council but I hope atong i-release, mahatag nato ni ang P7 million,” he said.
He added that helping the other LGUs is “very much important” especially in times of calamities “without expecting anything in return.”
Mt. Kanlaon erupted last June 3 which affected farms in the cities of Bago and La Carlota and the towns of La Castellana, Moises Padilla and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental with damage to crops in the province reaching to P9.99 million.
Estimated losses reported by farmers growing high-value commercial crops due to the Kanlaon eruption were at P8.5 million while rice farmers lost P1.36 million and corn farmers, P122,250, said Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. | with reports from Carla Gomez, Inquirer.net Correspondent