Governor Lilia G. Pineda has started the initial distribution of P20,000 calamity aid funds to each typhoon-affected barangays in the province to assist the village officials in addressing emergency and other disaster-related needs of their areas.
The calamity aid funds, sourced out from the provincial government calamity funds, are intended for emergency operations of the flooded- barangays such as outreach activities, bringing sick patients to the nearest hospital and provision of needed disaster-related assistance and services.
“We know that barangay captains who are at the forefront of disaster risk reduction and management operations incur various expenses, thus, we hope that this calamity aid would somehow be of assistance to them in dealing with emergency situations,” the governor said as she met the barangay chiefs at the provincial capitol.
Initially, the barangay captains of the municipalities of San Luis, Masantol, Macabebe and San Simon, four of the most heavily-flooded areas in the province, received their respective calamity aid funds.
The other typhoon-affected barangays in various municipalities of Pampanga are scheduled to receive their calamity aid soonest.
Latest report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) showed that 1578 families composed of 8620 individuals are still housed in 48 evacuation centers situated in Masantol, Macabebe, Candaba, San Luis, Mexico, Sta.Ana, City of San Fernando, San Simon, Sto. Tomas, Mabalacat and Bacolor.
The governor, together with the provincial board members, provincial and municipal officials, has been continuously monitoring flooded barangays in various municipalities of the province as she oversees the distribution of relief packs to the affected families and ensures the provision of much-needed assistance and services to them.
Relief packs were also provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), San Miguel Corporation, Maynilad, Pampanga Chamber of Commerce (PAMCHAM), Red Cross,Pampanga’s Best, Mekeni Food Products, Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce-Pampanga chapter and the Golden Group Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
Bacolor Mayor Jomar Hizon also provided food packs, meat products, fresh chicken, eggs and bottled water while the Smart Communications and National Telecommunications Commission also established Libreng Tawag booths for families who want to communicate with their loved-ones.
More so, international organizations such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), an organization of various international groups, also donated relief goods such as health and water kits, plastic mats and energy biscuits to flood victims in the province. (Pampanga PIO)
