Duterte eyes evac centers in disaster-prone areas
Credit to Author: Franz Lewin Embudo| Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2020 16:19:19 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday urged Congress to provide a supplemental budget for the construction of big evacuation shelters in disaster-prone areas.
In a speech during his visit to Sto. Tomas, Batangas, where he distributed relief aid to evacuees, Duterte asked the House of Representatives to provide P30 billion for the project.
“I’m urging Congress sa lahat ng areas na prone sa disaster na magkaroon ng mga evacuation center na malalaki lalo na ‘yung mga probinsya na nakaharap sa Pacific Ocean (I’m urging Congress [to provide the funds] to build massive evacuation centers in those areas prone to disaster especially those facing the Pacific Ocean),” he said.
Duterte named Isabela, Samar, Cagayan and Batangas as the provinces prone to disasters.
“Congress is conscious that is why there is a pending resolution, P30 bilyon ang mapupunta sa inyo (P30 billion will go to you),” he added.
“Dadating ang tulong sa inyo maghintay lang kayo, and we will act fast. Sa tamang panahon dadating ang tulong sa inyo (The aid will come, we will act fast. At the right time, it will come to you),” he asserted.
On Monday, Duterte led the distribution of relief goods to families who fled their homes after Taal Volcano erupted.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said the President would give P5 million each to eight local government units affected by Taal Volcano’s eruption.
The eight included Lipa City, Agoncillo, Tanauan, Mabini, Batangas City, San Luis, Sto. Tomas and San Jose.
Meanwhile, the province of Batangas will be given P10 million.
Meanwhile, Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas said the government would allocate P4 billion to relocate the evacuees who lived within the 14-kilometer danger zone.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that 98 percent of the residents in villages located within 14-kilometer danger zone of Taal Volcano had been evacuated.
Año gave assurances that the remaining residents in the danger zone were being evacuated.
No casualty had been recorded since the volcano erupted last week.
Año said all of the 142 local chief executives in Central Luzon, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan and National Capital Region had activated their disaster-preparedness protocols.
A total of 2,820 search and rescue personnel from the Philippine National Police (PNP) National Headquarters and different regional units have been deployed to Batangas and Cavite.
More than 10,000 additional PNP personnel were ready to be mobilized in case “the situation worsens,” Año said.
With a reports from DARWIN PESCO