Benguet farmers and residents affected by Typhoon Egay received financial and other forms of assistance amounting to P20 million.
Gov. Melchor Diclas said the assistance were through the initiatives of Senators Lawrence Go and Robin Padilla who gave a total of P5 million financial assistance each to the province coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The beneficiaries under Go were 343 farmers in Kibungan and Bakun, 412 in Buguias, and 19 in Kabayan who have reported damage in their agricultural produce.
Diclas said the financial assistance ranged from P5,000 to P10,000 depending on the assessment of the damaged farms and produce of the beneficiaries.
There are 1,000 farmer beneficiaries as well from La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay who earlier received P5,000 each from Padila.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also gave P10M to the provincial government for the procurement of agricultural materials and other goods for the provincial beneficiaries.
The assistance was on top of those given by the office of Rep. Eric Yap and the food packs and rice from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, Baguio Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club, among other groups.
Diclas assured more assistance will be given to the typhoon-hit residents with Sen. Raffy Tulfo, Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support party-list and House Speaker Martin Romualdez pledging to give aid to the provincial government.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office have also given financial assistance to houses that were partially and totally damaged.
“Most of the beneficiaries are our farmers whose crops and agricultural materials were destroyed during the typhoon and of course those who were hit by the landslides. The declaration of the province under state of calamity also helped for us to access funds for our constituents,” Diclas said.
The DSWD-Cordillera reported a total of P109M were given as humanitarian assistance to Typhoon Egay affected residents in the region. The amount came from the agency, local government units, non-government organizations, and other groups to help those affected by the typhoon that hit the region on July 26 and 27. – Ofelia C. Empian
