Siquijor gives P3M assistance to ‘Sendong-hit’ cities

By Rizalie Anding Calibo

SIQUIJOR, Jan 17 (PIA) – Grateful enough that the province is spared from typhoon Sendong that badly hit the Visayas and Mindanao areas,  Provincial Governor said it has appropriated some P3M out of its last year’s quick respond calamity fund to help the cities of Dumaguete, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro.

“We found ourselves with a hefty balance of the calamity fund last year, that is why when Sendong hit our neighboring provinces, we had this buffer fund to extend assistance to these provinces,” Provincial Governor Orlando A. Fua said during the first Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) meeting held today at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Hall, this province.

Fua said, the Department of Budget of Management (DBM) has approved the transfer of P2 million to Iligan City and P500,000 each to Dumaguete and Cagayan de Oro City.

He also said that another P3 million was appropriated for the procurement of equipment and material such as handheld radios for members of the PDRRMC, installation of radio repeaters that will link one municipality to the others using portable transceivers; and additional machine for another speedboats to convey patients from Siquijor to Dumaguete and do patrol duties to watch against illegal fishermen encroaching the province’s municipal waters.

“God will look kindly on us but we need to procure these equipments to combat prepare ourselves for any forms of calamities,” he said as he calls for preparedness, consciousness and concern from among his people. (mbcn/rac/PIA-Siquijor)