The Dinagat Islands provincial government, in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross, capped Wednesday its distribution of food aid to 591 typhoon-hit families in San Jose town.

Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. said the Oct. 11 -12 food packs and kitchen sets intend to help families devastated by Typhoon Odette in December last year.

“We are grateful for all this support from the Red Cross and its partner agencies. This will help our residents as they continue to recover from the effects of the last typhoon,” he said in an interview.

“More aid will come to Dinagat as a number of agencies, both from the public and private sectors, continue to make coordination with us,” Demerey said.

Celing Monda, 58, was among the residents from Barangay San Juan who received the assistance on Tuesday.

“I thank the government and the Red Cross for providing us kitchen sets and food,” she said.

Among the things her family lost during the onslaught of the typhoon, she said, were their kitchen wares.

Aside from food aid, Demerey said support to mitigate the risks of Dinagat people from the brunt of disasters is among aid the agencies will provide to the province.

“Recently, we signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with an international agency for a partnership to plant more trees in the province,” he said.

The governor is referring to the MOA signed with the Eden Reforestation Projects Philippines, a US-based non-government organization last Oct. 3.

The partnership will pave the way for the reforestation of 5,000 hectares of upland areas and 400 hectares of mangrove areas in the province. (PNA)