LGUs Come to the Aid of Typhoon-Struck LGUs

October 6, 2009

In times of calamities, the bayanihan spirit is still alive, even among local government units (LGUs).

Acting Secretary Melchor Rosales of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) today said that provinces, cities and municipalities all over the country that were unaffected by recent typhoons have come to the rescue of LGUs in calamity areas.
 
Rosales said that reports have reached his Office through the Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS) that at least ten provinces and cities have either extended financial assistance or provided relief packages to concerned LGUs declared as calamity areas.
 
Among the LGUs that gave financial support are: the Aklan Provincial Government (P500,000, coursed through the League of Provinces of the Philippines); Lucban, Quezon for Marikina City; Quezon province for Tanay, Rizal; Iloilo City (P500,000 each for Rizal and Bulacan provinces); Surigao del Sur (P300,000 coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development); Butuan City (P200,000 each for Marikina, Pasig, Cainta and Antipolo, coursed through the League of Cities of the Philippines).
 
Other LGUs like Oriental Mindoro donated 100 sacks of rice to the province of Rizal; the Cabanatuan City government pledged to provide relief packages and to deploy heavy equipment in the NCR; the Mabalacat Municipal Government mobilized engineering equipment for NCR clean-up; and Batangas City pledged to extend financial support to concerned LGUs.
 
The DILG Acting Secretary said that he is very pleased that many LGUs have promptly responded to the Department’s call for them to lend a helping hand to LGUs affected by Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.
 
Last week, the Department issued a directive to all local chief executives of local governments not affected by Typhoon Ondoy to strongly encourage them to extend financial support and other necessary assistance to concerned LGUs in calamity areas.
 
In his directive, Rosales said that under the Rules and Regulations Implementing RA 8185, 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.