Davao City to give aid to provinces ravaged by ‘Usman’

DAVAO CITY – The city government here will give another round of financial assistance and food aid to areas severely hit by tropical depression Usman that affected thousands in Regions 4A, 4B, 5 and 8.

Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag said the aid was for the provinces, which are now under a state of calamity.

He said the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur , Camarines Norte , Sorsogon and Oriental Mindoro will receive R1 million each, while the remaining R5 million will be allocated for food and relief packs.

Al-ag said officials of these areas are expected to submit to the city their respective certifications for the declaration within this week.

"Basta province na nag declare ug state of calamity pwede ta mag hatag ug aid (As long as the province will have a declaration we can give aid)," he said.

He said the assistance will be deliberated in the city council under suspended rules since this was an urgent matter.

Al-ag said the city council approved a R10 million aid for the five provinces as requested by Mayor Sara Z. Duterte in a special session last Thursday.

"This has been the tradition of our city to help other local governments in times of calamity," he said.

The assistance will be taken from the R130.8 million Quick Response Fund (QRF) for 2019 under the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.