Davao City chips in P5M for quake relief

Davao City, Albay yesterday joined the list of donors who chipped in to help fund relief and rehabilitation efforts for areas in Cebu and Bohol that were badly hit by the Oct. 15 earthquake.

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday flew to Cebu to hand over Davao’s P5 million donation to Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.

The towns of Argao, Minglanilla, Dumanjug, Sibonga, Tabogon and Boljoon and the cities of Talisay, Mandaue, Toledo and Cebu will each receive P500,000, Duterte said.

“The amount is not big but this is just to show our solidarity with each other,” he told Davide, Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale and the mayors when he visited the Capitol.

“We chose the LGUs that were affected by the quake based on the numbers provided by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council,” Duterte added.

The Davo mayor said the donation is his city’s way of repaying Cebu province whose officials visited Davao days after an airport bombing incident that killed more than 20 people and left hundreds injured in 2003.

Duterte said Davao City will donate a bigger sum of P13.5 million to Bohol.

Assistance

The Albay provincial government also sent representatives to the Capitol to hand over a P500,000 check.

“We will instruct DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) to check on the towns and select those that need assistance the most,” said Davide.

Davide said Cebu province will also donate funds to Bohol for rehabilitation work but didn’t commit a figure.

“We will see if we can also send financial assistance to Bohol. As for now, we’ve sent food and water there,” he said. /Peter L. Romanillos and Joy Cherry Quito