• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
La Castellana Vice Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan disclosed that the municipal government is currently allocating almost half a million pesos daily for the food and essential supplies of the remaining internally displaced persons (IDPs) in evacuation centers.
Mangilimutan reported that approximately 3,000 evacuees displaced by the recent typhoon, continue to seek shelter at various evacuation sites. Additionally, there are more than 200 IDPs who live within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone of Mount Kanlaon, still housed in evacuation centers.
The municipal government has set aside at least 35 pesos per meal for the IDPs, covering lunch and dinner, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is preparing breakfast daily for the evacuees.
“We are feeding around four thousand individuals every day. If we spend 35 pesos per meal, excluding rice, the municipality’s daily expenditure amounts to nearly half a million pesos,” Mangilimutan stated, noting that additional incidental expenses such as water, fuel, medical assistance, and other support for those who are ill are also actively managed.
Meanwhile, families who lost loved ones during Typhoon Tino have received financial aid from the Office of the Municipal Mayor. The exact amount of the assistance was not disclosed by authorities.
Despite delays in the processing of documents for the utilization of the P10 million fund extended by the Office of the President, Mangilimutan assured residents that efforts are underway to provide necessary aid to the victims.
“We don’t have control over everything, but rest assured that we are doing everything we can to support the projects the municipal mayor will implement, not only for our IDPs but also for the regular residents,” the vice mayor vowed.
The town’s annual Bailes de Luces celebration remains postponed due to the ongoing effects of the typhoon and volcanic eruption.
“Many of our regular programs have been put on hold, but we are doing our best to implement even the simplest initiatives,” she added.*
