Benguet PDCC granted P4.4 million for relief operations

by SC Aro

La Trinidad, Benguet (24 October) — The provincial board approved a total of P4.4 million as budget for the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council for the continuing relief operations with the province badly hit by typhoon “Pepeng”.

In a letter of Governor Nestor Fongwan dated October 14, 2009, he requested for P3.7 million to be funded from the 2008 unappropriated surplus of the general fund of the province. This will be used as additional budget to the P700,000 budget earlier requested for relief operations which was approved through Appropriation Ordinance No. 09-10.

Fongwan appeared before the members of the board last week and sought for the fast tracking of the approval of the additional P3.7 million for the continuing relief operations. The P3.7 million will be broken down as follows: P2.5 million for financial assistance to disaster victims; P1million for the purchase of relief goods; and P200,000 representation expenses for PDCC rescuers and volunteers.

Moreover, initial report of the Office of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (OPSWD) recorded a total of 780 sacks of rice already purchased and 27 sacks of stockpile rice of OPSWD for relief operations.

There were also other sources of rice assistance such as the Office of the Civil Defense and the local government unit of Ifugao with 400 sacks and 100 sacks respectively. To date more than 880 sacks of rice were already distributed based on OPSWD records.

Aside from the accounted rice distributions, the Department of Social Welfare and Development is currently distributing 2,000 sacks of rice donated by the United Nations in the 13 towns of the province. Boxes of high energy biscuits from the UN are also being distributed by the province.

The province also donated more than 255 cases of noodle packs, more than 110 cases of sardines, five cases of candles, blankets and assorted clothings, and hot meals. It also extended financial assistance to death victims, payments for embalming and coffins and transporting of corpses.

Earlier, President Gloria Arroyo distributed family packs to victims in Puguis while the rest were coursed through the DSWD.

Aside from the relief operations conducted by the province, there were also private groups, entities and individuals who voluntarily shared goods in various forms and medical assistance directly to the evacuation areas. (PIA-Benguet)