The provincial government has begun the process of procuring materials such as GI sheets, plywood and nails for its post-typhoon rehabilitation project particularly in helping residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged by super typhoon “Pepito.”
Governor Joseph C. Cua confirmed last weekend that the funding for the house repair materials will be charged to the P50 million calamity assistance turned over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his visit to the province last Nov. 19, 2024.
This development came just days after the United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzales, who also serves as Humanitarian Coordinator, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to assessing the situation and providing additional support, particularly to the province’s most severely affected towns and communities.
During the Nov. 20 meeting at the conference room, Governor Joseph Cua highlighted the need to reestablish telecommunications services, including the use of Starlink satellite internet for local health facilities and schools.
Gonzales told the chief executive that the UN, together with its partner organizations such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Philippines, UNICEF, UNFPA, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Plan International, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), are coordinating efforts to support the local governments in addressing residents’ needs and sustaining rehabilitation operations.
The organization commended the local government’s proactive measures before the typhoon, the health and safety efforts of the Provincial Health Office, and the residents’ cooperation during evacuation—all of it said which contributed to the province’s zero casualty rate.
UNICEF also praised the provincial government’s continuation of the WASH Program, which aims to achieve zero open defecation in all 315 barangays, ultimately improving health and nutritional outcomes, particularly for children.
Gov. Cua highlighted the need to prioritize the provision of temporary shelters and alternative livelihoods for severely affected residents and farmers.
The UN and its allied organizations are now visiting the worst-hit towns to assess the water sanitation, food security, agriculture, education, housing, women’s health, and the overall situation on the ground and advocate for an immediate response.
Meanwhile, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) will provide assistance to those who lost their homes as well as residents whose houses were damaged by the typhoon.
In a meeting with Gov. Cua and municipal mayors, DSHUD Region V Director Atty. Richard Manila and his staff disclosed that under the Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program (IDSAP), the agency will give P30,000 cash assistance to those whose houses were destroyed and P10,000 to those who sustained damage.
Under the Housing Materials and Essentials (HOMEs) program, the department will also provide home repair kits consisting of eight (8) GI sheets, 10 pieces of ¼-inch plywood, 24 pieces of coco lumber and two kilos of nails.