La Carlota City in Negros Occidental on Monday distributed the PHP10-million financial assistance from the Office of the President (OP) to more than 2,356 beneficiaries whose houses were destroyed by Typhoon Tino in November last year.

Each beneficiary received PHP5,000, with PHP4,200 funded by the OP allocation and the rest covered by the city government.

In central Negros, La Carlota is among the hardest-hit by the Nov. 4 devastation caused by Typhoon Tino, with several thousand houses damaged or destroyed.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) guidelines explained why the payout for shelter cash assistance on Monday was limited to residents with “totally damaged or washed out” houses.

“The intention of the local government unit (LGU) is to prioritize or give priority to those who lost their homes. This is so they can then start rebuilding their houses and slowly recover,” it said.

The beneficiaries received the amount during the distribution held at the covered court in Uriarte Subdivision.

The CSWDO said that with the PHP10 million allocation from the OP, each of the 2,356 beneficiaries can receive only about PHP4,200.

Considering this, the city government decided to add PHP1.78 million from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management quick-response fund so that each beneficiary can receive PHP5,000.

The CSWDO asked those with “partially damaged” houses to be patient while waiting for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) emergency cash transfer assistance.

“Our local government is just waiting for the DSWD-Negros Island Region to schedule the payout for the partially damaged or slightly affected households in our city,” it said. (PNA)