The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed on Monday PHP3,000 each to 1,000 residents most affected by typhoons Falcon and Egay. The financial aid was part of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) of the DSWD whose beneficiaries here are senior citizens, tricycle drivers, solo parents, and persons with disabilities. Danny Agbuya, one of the beneficiaries, said he will use the money to buy maintenance medicines for his mother who suffered from a stroke and has hypertension. Mayor Modesto Operania, in an interview, thanked the national government for assisting the residents. Senator Imee Marcos, who assisted in the distribution of financial assistance, also gave school supplies including bags to some 500 children in the town. ‘Kaunting tulong ito dahil nagkaroon ng bagyo. Maraming nasirang palay at mais sa Urbiztondo kaya mayroong tulong ang gobyerno para masiguro na tuloy-tuloy ang pag-aaral ng mga bata at ang buhay ng mga tagarito (This is a small help because typhoons hit this area. There were many rice and corn farmlands affected. That is why the national government is giving aid to ensure the children will go to school and the life of the people can go on after the disaster),’ she said. Marcos also visited the typhoon-devastated Pangasinan towns of Alcala, Basista, and Mangatarem to give aid to the residents. The AICS serves as a social safety net or stop-gap measure to support the recovery of individuals and families suffering from unexpected life events or crises, the DSWD said. Pangasinan suffered losses in agriculture worth PHP224 million and infrastructure involving 2,160 damaged houses due to Falcon, Egay, and the southwest monsoon, affecting a total of 112,756 families
Source: Philippines News Agency