• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Social Welfare and Development reported the distribution of P68,572,529 worth of humanitarian assistance to 325,469 families affected by the El Niño phenomenon in 2,360 barangays in Western Visayas, as of May 7.
The affected families are composed of 1,213,740 affected persons in the provinces of Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique and Guimaras.
Negros Occidental got the bulk of the assistance, worth P23,688,363, Antique – P20,681,907, Iloilo – P11,709,965, Aklan – P6,881,610, Capiz – P1,202,985, and Guimaras P665,000, said a report from the DSWD Region 6.
On the other hand, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) is also hastening its ongoing validation of the list of families affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
PSWD officer Chiqui Gonzalez, said they are presently validating and assessing the documents of the beneficiaries.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has allocated P10 million worth of assistance for farmers affected by the drought in Negros Occidental.
Gonzales admitted that it will take a while before the financial assistance will be released, citing that the requirements is the same as that for the assistance to hog raisers affected by the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Eligible beneficiaries will receive P2,000 each.
Gonzales said farmers in Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Isabela, San Enrique, and Ilog will be the first to benefit from the cash assistance, aside from food packs, from the Capitol once the validation process is finished.
The cash assistance of the provincial government can only cover 5,000 beneficiaries initially, Gonzales said.*
