The City Council on Thursday approved the P7.8 million assistance sought by Mayor Inday Sara Duterte to help the areas in Luzon hit recently by Typhoon Tisoy (Kumumuri).
Mayor Inday said the assistance comes as Davao City’s humanitarian aid – a tradition practiced by the city to help areas affected by any calamity to recover or cope with relief operations.
“The budget will come from our City Reduction Risk Management Funds. Under the law, we can use the fund to assist other areas if they will experience any calamity as long as they will declare under a state of calamity,” she said.
Mayor Inday said Davao City has been blessed that it seldom experiences a calamity. This enables the city to extend help to other local government units in its relief operations.
She said the disaster funds can be used only when there is a calamity. Since the city has not utilized the funding, she said it is better to give aid to other areas affected by a typhoon, flooding, earthquake and any other form of calamity.
“Since we cannot use the fund, we might as well give it to other areas which are in great need,” the mayor said.
Of the P7.8 million, Davao City is giving P1 million each to the provinces of Northern Samar, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, and Albay; P500,000 Calbayog City in Samar; and, P300,000 to Arteche town in Eastern Samar.
Since January, the city already extended P94.4 million in total aid to calamity-affected areas. The amount comes from the Quick Response Fund (QRF) which is 30 percent of the disaster funds.
The city still has P36.5 million left in the QRF before the year ends. CIO
