By Sheila Covarrubias
ZAMBOANGA
CITY,
Aug. 14 (PIA) - - Mayor Celso Lobregat will personally turn over to
Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and to some recipient local chief
executives, the P10 million financial assistance that the Zamboanga City
government is donating to families displaced due to monsoon rains or habagat
that hit Luzon recently.
Mayor Lobregat will meet with Sec. Robredo in Manila this week to hand over the checks for proper turn over to officials of 19 affected local government units.
The P10 million donation is taken from the City’s Calamity fund and was approved for release during a meeting of the Lobregat-led City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) in City Hall Friday afternoon.
Of the amount, P1 million will be given to San Mateo, Rizal, a sister town of Zamboanga City, and P9 million to be shared among 18 other flood-stricken municipalities at P500,000 each.
These municipalities include Masantol, Macabebe, Calumpit, Paombong, Hagonoy, Obando and Bucaue, all in the province of Bulacan; Concepcion, Paniqui and Capas in Tarlac Province; Dinalupihan, Orani and Mariveles in Bataan; Sto. Tomas and Minalin in Pampanga; San Marcelino and Iba in the province of Zambales.
During its session last Wednesday, the City Council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Lobregat to do whatever is necessary with regard to the massive calamity that hit Luzon early last week.
Mayor Lobregat said the city’s donation is a way of showing sympathy and concern for fellow Filipinos in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon. The amount, he said, will help alleviate the plight of the affected families.
Latest reports indicate that 92 people were killed while 3.45 million others affected by the heavy rains and flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The torrential rains, which began Monday evening and lasted until Wednesday, were caused by the southwest monsoon.
Many agencies local and abroad have responded to the call for help for the displaced families—who mostly were also affected by the 2009 super typhoon Ondoy. (JPA/SC/PIA-ZBST)