Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez on Thursday, June 6, said House Speaker Martin Romualdez may visit areas in Negros Occidental, affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption.
Romualdez earlier said he is expediting the release of P40 million worth of government aid for residents affected by Kanlaon’s eruption.
He is coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment for the allocation of P20 million each under the Ayuda para SA Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD).
Benitez said Romualdez staff is arriving to assess the situation and for the release of assistance.
The Bacolod mayor, who heads the Western Visayas Regional Development Council, also said the RDC is coordinating with national government agencies for needed assistance.
Benitez said he called La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan to ask how the Negros Association Chief Executives headed by Victorias Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez can assist her town.
Bacolod City is delivering water and food assistance to La Castellana of Friday, Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, said.
They will be bringing water tankers, she said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said that 10,000 Family Food Packs arrived in Bacolod City yesterday from the DSWD Visayas Disaster Resource Center in Cebu City to augment the needs of the affected families in Negros.*