Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go heeded the call for help as he visited the families and individuals devastated by Typhoon Ursula on Christmas Day in Balasan town, northern Iloilo and Pontevedra town, Capiz on Saturday afternoon.
The affected residents received food packs from the lawmaker aside from the food assistance extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Data from the DSWD Field Office in Western Visayas showed that a total of 218 families in Balasan town received PHP5,000 financial assistance each while six got PHP20,000 each in burial and financial aid.
A total of 272 families in Pontevedra also received PHP5,000 cash assistance each.
Go said he also coordinated with the National Housing Authority (NHA) to help displaced families rebuild their damaged houses.
“The DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), meanwhile, has a livelihood program. I also talked to other agencies to give help here. President (Rodrigo) Duterte will also be extending help to the affected residents here in the municipalities and the province,” Go said in Tagalog.
The senator took the opportunity to share his long-term plans to boost the county’s disaster preparedness measures.
Go said he filed a Senate bill pushing for the creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience to establish a pro-active approach against disasters.
He said the Department of Disaster Resilience, in coordination with other national agencies and local government units, “will focus not only after, or the post-rehabilitation, but we will become proactive”.
“Before the typhoon hits, we are ready through coordination of the Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology), PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration), (and the) Office of the Civil Defense,” he added.
The senator also pushed for the construction of permanent evacuation centers that have proper sanitation, bed spaces, and restrooms to provide comfort to the displaced families in times of disasters.
“This is to make our fellowmen comfortable. They can rest there until they go back to their homes. This is a long-term, maybe ambitious, but a long-term plan for the housing program for our countrymen to have durable houses that cannot be easily damaged when a typhoon strikes,” he said.
Balasan municipal Mayor Manuel Ganzon expressed his gratitude to the senator from Mindanao for visiting the typhoon victims.
Ganzon said all 23 villages in Balasan were affected by ‘Ursula’.
“Even if we are on this sad phase, Senator Bong Go has brought happiness to the people here in Balasan,” Ganzon said.
He said the senator also committed to facilitating the construction of infrastructure projects like drainage improvement and flood control projects for Balasan to lessen the effects of typhoons in the future.
Source: PNA
