AMID the city's struggle in responding to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Davao City Government still pledged to financially assist areas recently affected by Typhoon Ambo.
The 19th City Council on Tuesday, June 16, passed an ordinance authorizing Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to use a portion of the City's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRM) fund to typhoon-affected areas Northern and Eastern Samar for a total amount of P700,000.
Each locality, including the Province of Northern Samar and the Municipalities of Arteche, Maslog, Dolores, Oras, Jipadpad, and San Policarpo, all in Eastern Samar, will receive P100,000 each.
Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang told VoxPop Davao in a phone interview on Wednesday, June 17, that the City Government, despite shedding resources in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, is still capable of allocating financial assistance to calamity-stricken areas.
"Ginahimo na kini sa City Governments (The City Government has been doing this for a long time). We are supporting other LGUs (local government units) who are in need. In their case, we feel that they were double hit with the typhoon, and now, with the Covid-19 pandemic," Dayanghirang said.
The councilor, who is the City Council committee chairperson on finance, ways, and means, and appropriations, said while the city had utilized some portion of the CDRRM fund in its Covid-19 response, he, however, said that the city is currently utilizing the Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities (BGCM) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act from the National Government.
Duterte-Carpio said in a previous radio interview that the city has allocated some P476 million in its Covid-19 response, sourced from the national government. She said it is equivalent to the city's Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Dayanghirang, meanwhile, said the approved financial grant will be turned over to affected LGUs as soon as possible.
He said with the local economy now on its gradual recovery, the city hopes to continue its tradition of helping other localities who will be affected by calamities and disasters.
In a report from the Philippine News Agency, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Typhoon Ambo, the first typhoon to hit the country this year, left at least P1.26 billion worth of damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
