‘Glenda’ victims from 7 Laguna towns to get aid

DESPITE the flood, this couple from Bay town, Laguna province, have immediately replace their roof after Typhoon “Glenda” blew it away on July 17 with at least 150-kilometer-per-hour winds. LETI BONIOL

BAY, Laguna—Storm victims in seven Laguna municipalities will receive P5,000 each as financial aid from the National Housing Authority (NHA) to help them start rebuilding their houses that were destroyed by Typhoon “Glenda” (international name: Rammasun).

Vice President Jejomar Binay announced the financial aid during his visit to this town on Saturday, municipal officials here said.

Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesperson, on Monday confirmed Binay’s visit to Bay town, five other Laguna municipalities and Calamba City to “inform” residents about the monetary assistance. The other towns were Calauan, Nagcarlan, Rizal, Alaminos and Liliw.

Salgado, in a text message, said the six towns and one city were badly hit by the typhoon, based on initial reports received by the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

He said the local governments would identify and submit a list of beneficiaries before the NHA releases the amounts.

“Although the NHA assistance is open to all affected residents, Pag-Ibig members can also avail of calamity loans,” he said.

In an e-mail statement, the OVP said P6 billion from the Home Development Mutual Fund, or the Pag-Ibig Fund, had been set aside for calamity loans for members in areas that were declared as under a state of calamity.

A partial report from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the typhoon affected 46,557 families and destroyed 11,454 houses in Laguna province.