Solons pass hat for Marawi victims
The House of Representatives will be passing the hat among its members to create a trust fund to assist victims in the siege of Marawi City by armed militants.
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez announced the creation of the fund during his speech just before the 292-seat chamber adjourned on Wednesday evening.
“This will be our concerted answer to the challenge that extremists present. They seek to sow terror, but we will show them our courageous resolve. They seek to destroy, but we shall defend and rebuild,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, the House adopted a resolution expressing its full support for the declaration of martial law in Mindanao and finding no reason to revoke it. President Duterte placed Mindanao under martial rule in response to the breakout of violence in Marawi City.
Asked how much the House members would be chipping in, Alvarez said it would be purely voluntary with no target amount.
In his speech, Alvarez asked his colleagues to “take a somber moment to remember the events presently unfolding in the main island of Mindanao.”
“Thousands have been displaced and the fire fight has resulted to casualties on the part of our valiant soldiers and innocent civilians. Likewise, many of those who seek to realize a horrible vision incompatible with the values of a civilized world, through the use of terror, have been neutralized,” he said.
Alvarez said it was the duty of the House members to share with the heavy burden of what happened in the Muslim-majority city.
“To this end, may I inform you that the House of Representatives has taken the initiative to create a trust fund to aid in this mission,” he said.
“With our unified efforts, they will never win. Let us reiterate the timeless truth that hope will always prevail over hate,” Alvarez said.
Meanwhile, overseas Filipino workers and their families displaced by the ongoing conflict in Marawi City will receive financial aid from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa).
“We were told that from the time the fighting among the government troops and the Maute group began, chaotic situation engulfed the area and residents left their homes sans their belongings and valuables,” Owwa administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said.
“Thus, we are ready to give cash assistance to help them in the financial aspect relative to their needs especially food and other basic essentials,” he said.
Active Owwa members will receive P3,000 each while non-active members may claim P1,500 each, pursuant to Owwa Board Resolution No. 07, series of 2017, under Owwa’s Welfare Assistance Program (WAP).
Owwa has allocated P2.7 million for WAP.
Cacdac said a total of 1,418 Owwa members, both active and inactive, are registered with the agency’s Regional Welfare Office (RWO) 10 in Cagayan de Oro City.
Under orders of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Cacdac dispatched teams from RWO 10 to assess the situation and assist affected OFWs and their families.
Claimants of WAP may get in touch with the agency’s RWO 10 for documentary requirements through 8578511 or 0917-480033.
