No financial aid yet for 600 families

THE Davao City Social Services and Development Office said only 600 remaining families affected by typhoon Vinta are yet to receive financial assistance.

"Close to 600 families-second batch ang wala kadawat. It is exclusive for Barangay Tigatto, Jullivile subdivision and Jade valley homes subdivision," Buhangin District head Norman Baloro told reporters during yesterday's edition of I-Speak media forum held at Davao City Hall Conference Room.

Baloro said, "The reason why we have a second batch is because there are families who just arrived in Davao and they just learned the extent of damage of their houses. It is the commitment of Mayor Sara Z. DuterteCarpio that we have to accommodate everybody. Of course we also have to consider our house to house validation which is

one of the most effective mechanisms to check if they are really eligible for financial assistance," he said.

Baloro said in Buhangin District, it took them a while to validate the first batch, as they encountered problems in the validation of the victims. Some enlisted themselves as individuals instead as a family.

He said the government can only give financial help per family but not per individual.

Baloro said after the house to house validation, which finished on December 27, 2017, they were able to officially confirm around 4,000 families that are eligible to become financial assistance beneficiaries. This was around half of the some 8,000 families that were initially listed on December 23 to 26, 2017.

He said they are done giving financial assistance to affected families in Barangay Mandug and Waan especially those families whose houses were partially and totally damaged.

"Actually it is closed to P28 million, included our partially, totally including our affected families from the barangay Tigatto," Baloro said.

He added that they extended P10,000 for those whose homes were totally damaged; P5,000 for partially damaged homes; and P3,000 for affected families.

Baloro also added that 89 families who are living in the riverbanks at the back of Deca homes Tigatto, Buhangin Distict came to him asking that they wanted to be relocated.

He said that he has already advised residents to go to the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), Household and Homesite division. However, it was revealed that most of them do not qualify for relocation.

Baloro said most of them did not qualify due to the length of years of their stay in the area, and some also do not have source of income to pay some necessary fees for obligation if they will be relocated. KVC