Cebu City has no plans yet to aid NCR flood victims

By: Pia Piquero - 5 months ago

This is a glimpse at the facade of the Cebu City Hall. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa [FILE PHOTO]

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The local government of Cebu City has not yet finalized plans to provide assistance to the local government units (LGUs) affected by the severe flooding in various parts of Luzon.

City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, though, vowed to offer whatever assistance the city could.

He also noted that the specifics of this aid would need further discussion with the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) and the disaster council.

“I will talk first to the disaster teams to make an assessment and provide financial assistance to the local government units there, whatever it can be. Manglupad ta didto kay magtabang ta og (We can fly there so that we can help in)declogging didto (there), disaster teams, that’s an option,” Garcia said in a press conference on Thursday, July 25.

“I don’t want to make any decisions or communicate anything right now; we will wait for the department and council on that,” he added.

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The recent flooding across Luzon and several other regions has left thousands devastated, with many losing their homes and, tragically, their loved ones.

As of July 25, the death toll from Super Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) and the southwest monsoon has reached at least 14, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The figures include 14 confirmed deaths, with two individuals injured and two still missing. Validation is ongoing for six of the reported deaths.

The hardest-hit region is Calabarzon with five deaths, followed by the Zamboanga Peninsula with four.

Overall, the number of affected Filipinos has exceeded one million, with the NDRRMC reporting that 1,115,272 individuals have been impacted by these weather events.

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Garcia explained that financial assistance could be provided similar to the aid given to victims of the Kanlaon eruption last June, where Cebu City contributed three million pesos.

However, he also mentioned that certain conditions must be met, such as the declaration of a state of calamity, before financial assistance can be distributed.

“We can provide financial assistance similar to what we did in Kanlaon victims. Flooding is a natural disaster, and we will look into it. However, there are requisites; they need to declare a state of calamity before we can send out financial assistance,” he said.

It is worth noting that the initial assistance intended for Kanlaon victims was set at seven million pesos. However, during its special session, the council deferred this amount due to requirements such as the declaration of a state of calamity by the LGUs.

The council reduced the aid to three million pesos, which was only provided to those LGUs that had declared a state of calamity.

State of Calamity

Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. announced that a state of calamity has now been declared in four additional provinces affected by Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon.

Abalos said that Bataan, Bulacan, Batangas, and Cavite, along with Pinamalayan in Oriental Mindoro, have joined the list of areas under a state of calamity.

Earlier, Abalos also noted that Kabacan and Pikit in Cotabato, Butuan in Davao de Occidental, and several other locations had previously declared a state of calamity.

On July 24, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) declared a state of calamity in NCR amid the massive flooding.