The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) donated over 78,000 board feet of lumber worth P4.6 million to help rebuild damaged homes and schools in the provinces of Batanes and Cagayan.
In a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the agency said the local government of Batanes received 4,791 pieces of wood lumber, totaling 63,260.62 board feet, for the repair and reconstruction of homes in the typhoon-hit municipalities of Basco, Itbayat, Ivana, Mahatao, Sabtang, and Uyugan.
The materials were distributed to help residents recover from the destruction caused by Typhoon Julian, it added:
In Cagayan, the DENR said the Department of Education (DepEd) was provided with over 1,000 pieces of lumber, amounting to 14,879.92 board feet, to rehabilitate schools in the Second District damaged by Typhoon Marce.
Gwendolyn Bambalan, the regional executive director of DENR Region 2, said that the lumber came from confiscated forest products with Orders of Finality under the agency’s custody in Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya, as well as turned-over logs from mining companies in Nueva Vizcaya.
Environment Secretary Maria Antonia “Tonio” Yulo-Loyzaga praised the initiative, highlighting the importance of coordinated efforts in disaster recovery.
“Despite the challenges posed by successive typhoons, we were able to mobilize our resources and work with our partners to provide the much-needed aid to typhoon victims,” she said.
Such an effort, according to the DENR, involved a collaboration with the Office of Civil Defense, the Philippine Navy and Air Force, and the Philippine National Police.
Bambalan acknowledged additional support from law enforcement and emergency services during the delivery.
“While the hauling and loading of the wood materials delivered to Batanes were facilitated and supervised by DENR personnel, this initiative would not have been possible without the assistance of the Police Mobile Force Company, Police Provincial Offices, and the Bureau of Fire Protection,” she added.