Villafuertes seek Duterte’s help for typhoon-ravaged CamSur

President Rodrigo Duterte (right) is with Sen. Christopher Go during an aerial inspection of areas affected by Super Typhoon Rolly. (Photo courtesy of Sen. Christopher Go)

MANILA, Philippines — Two Villafuertes in government are seeking the help of President Rodrigo Duterte as their home province of Camarines Sur was ravaged by Super Typhoon Rolly over the weekend.

In a statement on Monday, Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte and his son, Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte, said that they need immediate assistance for around 80,000 families severely affected by Rolly.

Instead of hitting Aurora and northern Quezon as earlier predicted, Rolly barreled into the Bicol Region and hit several areas, notably Camarines Sur, Albay, and Catanduanes. This came a week after Typhoon Quinta grazed the same region before hitting Southern Luzon.

“We are appealing for immediate assistance from the President for the devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Rolly, particularly for the most severely affected 80,000 families all over the province’s 1,036 barangays, many of whom have totally or partially lost their homes to this extremely potent ‘Category 5’  cyclone that hit Bicol a week after the onslaught of super typhoon Quinta,” the older Villafuerte said.

“We need aid right away from the DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] and the NHA [National Housing Authority] for CamSur folk who are now reeling from the triple whammy of super typhoons Rolly and Quinta and the lingering coronavirus pandemic,” he added.

Earlier, the provincial council approved a resolution putting the entire province under a state of calamity, allowing it to tap its calamity funds.

The Bicol Region was hit by Rolly with its maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour — breaking the Philippines’ super typhoon category.

Governor Villafuerte has also written a letter to Duterte asking for financial aid for severely affected families, particularly those in the agriculture sector, like rice farmers.

In the letter, the younger Villafuerte asked whether there was available funding from the DSWD and other available fund resources for their proposed cash aid ranging from  P3,000 to P5,000, which would be given to each of the 80,000 severely affected families.

“We likewise seek the assistance of the NHA through its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) for many of our people whose homes have been totally or partially destroyed,” the governor said.

“The province of CamSur has always been supportive of our national government efforts including that of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the country. It is the only province in the entire Bicol Region with an isolation center and is continuing to provide free testing to targeted individuals” he added.

All in all,  around 251,000 families or 1,025,770 individuals in the province’s 1,036 barangays were affected by Rolly, according to the Camarines Sur Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC).

An estimated P752 million worth of palay, corn, and high-value crops of 24,458 farmers were wiped out, while the livelihood of 34,350 fisherfolk was placed in danger after P13.3 million worth of municipal and inland fisheries stocks were damaged.

Infrastructure damage in the province — roads, bridges, dams, irrigation systems and other public structures — was estimated at P1.9 billion.

The Villafuertes noted that Camarines Sur was still reeling from the effects of Quinta, which damaged an estimated 4,400 hectares of rice farms valued at P225 million.

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