Department of the Interior and Local Government called on all local government units (LGUs) that were not affected by the typhoon to lend a helping hand and extend financial assistance to LGU’s affected by the calamities.
“In this time and hour of need, LGUs that were spared from the wrath of Ondoy should extend a helping hand to those LGUS that were severely affected for lying directly in the path of the said typhoon,” DILG Acting Secretary Melchor P. Rosales said, adding that, “We should all work together and learn from our lessons from “Ondoy” so that we will be ready to deal with “Pepeng”.
Last September 26, Typhoon Ondoy caused heavy rains in Metro Manila and surrounding areas of Luzon and has submerged the NCR with up to 20 feet of water. An estimate of 293 people were killed and has displaced thousands families to their homes, and more than P108.9 million worth of infrastructure and crops were damaged.
n a directive to all local chief executives of local governments not affected by Typhoon Ondoy, Rosales strongly encouraged them to extend financial support and other necessary assistance to concerned LGUs in calamity areas and to prepare for the onslaught of “Pepeng”.
The areas declared under the state of calamity are: all LGUs in the National Capital Region; Mountain Province, Ifugao and Benguet (CAR): Pangasinan, La Union and Ilocos Sur (Region I); Isabel, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya (Region II); Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac and Bataan (Region III); Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Region IV-A); Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Marinduque (Region IV-B); and Catanduanes, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur (Region V).
The DILG Acting Secretary said that Sections 5 (a) of the Rules and Regulations Implementing RA 8185 or An Act Amending Section 324 (D) of the Local Government Code states that LGUs may allocate or use a portion of the 5% calamity fund to other affected areas on condition that the said areas are declared as under the state of calamity by the sanggunian concerned.
