Communities in Masbate, the province hit hard by severe tropical storm ‘’Opong’’ (international name ‘’Bualoi’’) last week, are in need of repair kits for their damaged houses, an Office of Civil Defense (OCD) official said Monday.
"Wala po tayong problema sa pagkain. Sapat po, naka-preposition tayo. So housing, repair kits po ang kailangan. We are assessing kung ilan talaga ang kailangan ng probinsya but it will run to thousands po kasi ngayon nasa evacuation centers pa rin ay 5,213 families (We have no problem with food, we have enough stock that have been pre-positioned. For housing, we need repair kits. We are assessing how many are needed but definitely, it will run to the thousands as there are still 5,213 families in evacuation centers)," OCD Deputy Administrator Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said in an ABS-CBN News Channel interview.
He said many of the affected families cannot return home yet due to the damage sustained by their houses.
"Housing materials po talaga ang kailangan nila (They really need housing materials)," the OCD official said.
Alejando added that as of Sunday, the government, through the OCD, has already delivered close to 300 tarpaulin and galvanized iron sheets intended for the repair of damaged homes.
Masbate is the province that incurred the most damage due to Opong, according to Alejandro, citing latest reports. (PNA)