The municipal government of Bagamanoc has yet to release the P1,000 cash assistance to all families affected by super typhoon “Uwan” charged to its Quick Relief Fund (QRF), pending validation of the list of recipients.
Mayor Vincent Villaluna told the Tribune that the aid will be coursed through the heads of about 3,400 families in the town’s 18 barangays based on the lists submitted by the Punong Barangays as duly validated by the municipality.
Unlike what happened at the provincial government, the utilization of the QRD for the distribution of cash assistance was recommended by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) and subsequently approved by the Sangguniang Bayan headed by Vice Mayor Juan Velchez Jr. in the second week of November.
The local chief executive said enough Family Food Packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have already been distributed to affected families as well as other assistance.
He stressed that there is no issue with distributing cash as part of the disaster response immediately after a disaster as long as it is agreed upon by the MDRRMC and concurred by the municipal council.
Based on Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1 of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the utilization of the LDRRM Fund, including the QRF, disaster response includes the provision of alternative livelihood relief or assistance, provision of tents and other temporary shelter facilities, provision of food subsistence or relief goods, and other programs or projects of similar nature and considered necessary.
While the northern town recorded no landslides along its roads, the typhoon’s heavy rains and storm surge brought flooding to población barangays.
A total of 151 houses were destroyed and 1,707 others were damaged, with public infrastructure incurring P35 million in damage.
Uwan also disrupted the livelihoods of 1,970 farmers and 804 fishermen, as its agriculture sector was seriously affected: 520 hectares of abaca farms, 152 hectares of coconut land, and 27 hectares of Riceland; 177 bancas damaged along with 33 hectares of fishponds, one fish cage, five (5) fish corrals and eight (8) fish lift nets.
Mayor Villaluna disclosed that the municipality is expecting the arrival of 100 shelter kits from the Department of Social Housing and Urban Development (DSHUD) for the use of families whose homes were partially damaged, especially in coastal villages ravaged by storm surge.
According to the memorandum of agreement the chief executive signed last Dec. 5, 2025 with DSHUD officials led by Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, the municipality will have to provide a site that could accommodate the collapsible temporary housing and with available water and power utilities.
The prefabricated shelters, which can be dismantled and stored for reuse in future calamities, will be mounted on concrete pads to be constructed by the LGU.
As of last week, the LGU is still looking at potential sites for the housing but has found only one suitable for 50 units.
In 2026, the Villaluna administration is prioritizing the provision of potable water supply to all its 18 barangays, starting with the 100% house connections in the seven población barangays from its Level III water system.
Under a tie-up with the LGU, the Church of Latter-Day Saints and A Single Drop for Safe Water (ASDSW) will provide P5 million for materials of the proposed construction of Level II water system in the Panay island barangays of Suchan and Quigaray while the LGU will provide P1 million as counterpart for labor.
By next year, the mayor stated, only Cahan will be without its own water system.
On the other hand, the town is also awaiting the response of the Department of Education on the LGU’s request to recover part of the land it donated for the use of the Bagamanoc Rural Development High School.
The vacant property is being eyed as the site of the new, two-storey municipal building that will cost an estimated P150 million.
The old building along the shore, which has been battered by huge waves spawned by typhoons, will be offered as offices for senior citizens and other groups.