Benguet’s Typhoon ‘Ompong’ victims get livelihood assistance from DSWD

The Department of Social Welfare and Development distributes livelihood assistance to more than 900 survivors of Typhoon “Ompong” in Itogon, Benguet on May 16, 2019. PHOTO by Kimberlie Quitasol

ITOGON, Philippines — At least 952 individuals who were displaced by Typhoon “Ompong” that ravaged northern Luzon in September 2018 received cash assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)in Cordillera on Thursday.

The DSWD has been distributing livelihood assistance to displaced survivors from Itogon town in Benguet province since November 2018.

The agency identified some 3,665 recipients of P20,000 cash assistance each, which they can use to put up rice or vegetable retail stores.

From November 2018 to February this year, 1,584 people had received the assistance.

Itogon was among the Benguet towns most devastated when Ompong hit northern Luzon. On September 15, 2018, over a hundred people perished, more than 90 of them were buried alive in a massive landslide in Barangay Ucab here.  (Editor: Eden Estopace)