P11-M assistance DUTERTE VISITS AREAS HIT BY TYPHOON NONA

By Manny Piñol

Just when nobody was looking, Davao City Mayor and Presidential candidate Rody Duterte slipped out of the sight of media men and flew to areas devastated by Typhoon Nona to personally turn over P11-million in financial assistance from the city government.

It was the fourth major financial assistance extended by the progressive city in the Southern Philippines to disaster stricken areas.

Two years ago, Davao City was the first local government unit which dispatched emergency and medical crews to Tacloban City and the Leyte Provinces following the devastation by Typhoon Yolanda.

Previously, Davao City also helped victims of calamity in Davao del Norte and Comval Provinces which were hit by Typhoon Pablo and Bohol which was ravaged by an earthquake.

In all of those relief missions, Duterte led his team from Davao City, including doctors and nurses.

On Tuesday, Ben Tesiorna of CNN Philippines reported that the Davao City Council authorised Duterte to use city funds to assist areas devastated by Typhoon Nona.

Here is Ben Tesiorna’s report:

Davao City (CNN Philippines) — The Davao City government is donating P11 million to the provinces of Sorsogon and Oriental Mindoro which were hardest hit by Typhoon Nona (international name: Melor).

In a resolution passed by the City Council on Tuesday (December 22), an ordinance was crafted to serve as legal basis for the financial assistance to 22 towns from the two provinces.

The beneficiaries are the municipalities of Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Gubat, Irosin, Uban, Magallanes, Matnog, Pilar, Getoguias, Sta. Magdalena, and Sorsogon City from Sorsogon province; and Baco, Calapan, Gloria, Mauian, Pinamalayan, Pola, and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro.

Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang, chairperson of the committee on finance, said the ordinance authorized Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to use a portion of the 30 percent quick-response fund out of the five percent disaster risk reduction and management calamity fund of Davao for the 2015 calendar year.

Each town will receive P500,000 but will be subject to existing government budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulation of the Department of Budget and Management, the Commission on Audit, and the Procurement Law.

(This file photo from the Davao City Information Office shows Mayor Duterte briefing the Davao Team before they were sent to assist victims of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City two years ago.)