LIGAO CITY, Albay – Eight-hundred sixty-nine families affected by Mayon Volcano in the town of Guinobatan and Ligao City in Albay are beneficiaries of P5,000 cash assistance each from House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
MYRNA Bobis, 53, a Person with Disability and an evacuee from Barangay Baligang, Ligao City, shows her P5,000 cash assistance during the pay-out at the Campsite Evacuation Center in Barangay Basag, Ligao City on Wednesday, June 14. Fifty-seven families from Barangay Baligang were evacuated due to the restive Mayon Volcano. (Niño N. Luces)
Albay Rep. Fernando Cabredo thanked Romualdez for the aid which came from the Speaker’s special fund.
"Ito ay special fund na inilagay ng ating Speaker sa DSWD. Kausap ko din ang ating (DSWD-Region 5) Director Norman Laurio at sa lokal na pamahalaan ng Ligao, lalo na kay Mayor Nando Gonzales, kung kaya labis ang ating pasasalamat (This is a special fund given by our Speaker to the DSWD. I also talked to Director Norman Laurio and the local government of Ligao, particularly Mayor Nando Gonzales, and we are very thankful)," Cabredo said.
Cabredo, who initiated the assistance, said that he initially asked for P2,000 cash assistance from Romualdez but it was raised to P5,000.
"Unang-una, kinuwento ko sa ating Speaker ang tunay na kalagayan. Nalaman ko sa DSWD na wala ng problema sa pagkain. Pero sinabi ko sa Speaker, maliban sa pagkain, mayroon pang pangangailangan ang ating mga evacuees. Katulad ng pamasahe, gastusin sa araw-araw, mga gamut, at pambili ng pagkain para sa kanilang mga alagang hayop. Wala na silang kabuhayan ngayon dahil nandito sila sa evacuation center. ‘Yun ang sinabi ko sa speaker na kung puwede mabigyan sila ng financial assistance (I told the Speaker the real situation. The DSWD told me there is no problem with the food. But I told the Speaker, the evacuees also need money for their daily expenses. They do not have any livelihood because they are staying in the evacuation center. I asked the Speaker if they could be given financial assistance)," Cabredo said.
A payout was held on Wednesday, June 14, at Campsite Evacuation Center in Barangay Basag, Ligao City for evacuees from Purok 3 and Purok 4 in Barangay Baligang, this city, while that for affected families in Guinobatan is scheduled on Thursday, June 15.
Teresa Desacula, 29, an evacuee from Barangay Baligang, said that the cash assistance she received will be used to buy milk, diapers, and vitamins for her six-month-old son.
"Gagamitin ko po itong pambili ng gatas ng anak ko. ‘Yung iba naman pambili ng vitamins sa mga anak ko at ‘yung iba naman sa pang araw-araw na gastos (I will use the money to buy milk and vitamins for my son and the rest for daily expenses)," she said.
Desacula, a housewife with four children, said that his family lives through farming at the slope of Mayon Volcano.
Myrna Bobis, 53, a Person with Disability (PWD) and an evacuee from Barangay Baligang, said that she will use the money to purchase maintenance medicines.