FILE – Residents take turns in filling up their water containers from the water tanker of Bukidnon Prime Water, Malaybalay City Water District on Christmas Day in Barangay Sabang, Surigao City.
PHOTO BY ERWIN M. MASCARIÑAS
MANILA, Philippines — Survivors of Typhoon Odette, which has been deemed as one of the most powerful storms to strike the country in 2021, have so far received P179 million in aid from the government, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
READ: Odette: Impact on PH described as ‘catastrophic’
In President Rodrigo Duterte’s taped address to the nation aired Tuesday, Año said that the distribution of financial assistance has begun.
“A total of P4.7 billion po ‘yung ating na-i-release sa mga LGUs (local government units) at kasalukuyan pong nagdi-distribute ng mga ayuda sa mga naapektuhan,” he reported to the president.
READ: Gov’t releases P4.8 billion for typhoon survivors
(The government has released a total of P4.7 billion to LGUs, and the process of disbursing financial aid is well underway.)
“A total of 121—P179 million na po ang naidi-distribute at next week po ay magbibigay kami ng ulat sapagkat ngayon pong Miyerkules ay magmi-meeting po ‘yung mga regional directors upang abisuhan ‘yung mga LGUs para bilisan po ang pagbibigay ng ayuda,” he added.
(A total of 121-P179 million was already distributed, and next week, we will report because this Wednesday, regional directors will have a meeting to advise LGUs to expedite the distribution.)
Duterte, in December last year, said that each family affected by Odette would receive P5,000 to help them reel from the typhoon’s impact.
READ: Each family affected by Typhoon Odette will get P5,000, says Duterte
Duterte has also ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to oversee the cash distribution to survivors.
“On top of that mga (On top of) implementers, I ask the DILG Secretary Año to just… be there and be present ganu’n sa (in the) distribution and see to it that the money is given to the proper persons, to the typhoon victims. Nag-aano talaga ako (I just)—to just oversee the flow of the money to where it should belong,” he said.