P26.6M aid given to Rolly-hit areas—Palace

HOMELESS_The city suffers heavy rain and wind which causes alot of damages to some houses after Typoon ‘Rolly’ batters the Bicol region on Sunday. Photos taken in Purok #2, Barangay Basud, Tabaco City, 1st District of Albay province on November 2, 2020, Monday. MARK ALVIC ESPLANA / INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON.

MANILA, Philippines — A total of P26.6 million worth of assistance has so far been given to communities affected by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly.

Citing data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday that the relief assistance covers eight regions including the most-hit Bicol region.

A total of 138,209 persons are currently seeking refuge in evacuation centers after they fled their houses as Rolly, said to be the world’s strongest storm this year, rammed parts of Luzon on Sunday.

Roque also reported that the Department of Health (DOH) has provided P540.5 million worth of hygiene kits and collapsible water drinking containers and P402.7 million worth of medicine for allocation by the affected local government units.

Meanwhile, farmers in the Bicol region may get up to P15,000 in insurance claims for crops destroyed by the typhoon, the Palace official said.

Roque held his regular Palace press briefing on Thursday in Virac, Catanduanes, one of the most badly hit areas in the Bicol Region.

Catanduanes Governor Joseph Cua said Rolly is the strongest typhoon to hit the province, even stronger than Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

The province has six fatalities and one individual still missing following Rolly’s onslaught, the governor reported.

Cost of damaged crops reached P1.4 billion, with nearly P1.3 billion in destroyed abaca, Catanduanes’ top crop.

Electricity remains hardly available in the province as 90% of its electric posts had been toppled.

READ: Damage wrought by Rolly on agriculture, infrastructure hits P6 billion

/MUF