ILOILO CITY, Mar 27 (PNA)–Super typhoon “Yolanda” displaced so many families in Western Visayas that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had to implement three waves of food pack distribution reaching a grand total of P1,041,875,296 from November 8, the day when the super typhoon Yolanda hit the provinces in the region.

Each food pack amounting to P1,250 distributed by the DSWD is composed of 25 kilos rice, 20 canned goods, 20 pieces of noodles, and 20 sachets of 3 in 1 coffee that is good for 10 days for a family of six.

The total recipient families that were given three rounds of food packs reached 515,071 for which 91,258 were from the provinces of Aklan, 45,953 from Antique, 137,314 from Capiz, 179,396 from Iloilo, and 61,150 from Negros Occidental. These families because of the affectation to their livelihood were given food packs from the DSWD. Food pack distribution in Guimaras was only for the first wave amounting to P68,000 being the province less severely affected by the typhoon.

The DSWD aside from distributing food packs to the displaced families is also right now implementing Cash for Work Program (CWP) and Self-Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran (SEA-K) program with the targeted beneficiaries of 7,205 in the provinces of Western Visayas –Aklan with 217 individuals, Antique with 5,274, Capiz with 83, Guimaras with 241, and Iloilo with 1,390.

Under the CWP, beneficiaries are receiving P288 per day as their wage. They are being assigned work such as repair of damaged public structures, clearing operations and others identified as priorities by their local government units.

The DSWD Regional Office 6 is also ready to implement the core shelter assistance benefiting 2,461 families whose houses were totally damaged by the typhoon utilizing the cash donations to DSWD Central Office, but that it is just waiting for the local government units to provide their lot counterparts. The unit cost of each core shelter is P70,000 and these will be established in Antique with 260 beneficiaries; Guimaras, 36; Iloilo, 1,101; and Negros Occidental, 1,064.

There are also 27,947 number of beneficiaries for the provision of pedicabs with the total cost of P149,520. For the provision of motorized bancas, there are 27,947 beneficiaries and the total cost for these is P1,450,000 with each unit of pedicab amounting to P50,000. Target beneficiaries of pedicabs and bancas are the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) members who are right now undergoing assessment and validation to avoid duplication of beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Regional Office 6 constructed 10 units of bunkhouses in Bgy. Bakhawan Sur, Concepcion, Iloilo province is now fully occupied with the 120 displaced families. Each unit of bunkhouse has 12 rooms and these were turned over to the beneficiaries last Feb. 28.

Also in Bgy. Gugo, Estancia, Iloilo, there are another 10 units of bunkhouses constructed and proposed to be turned over to beneficiaries by April 1 following the completion of the canalization or drainage in the area and painting of the units.

A unit of bunkhouse is in the tune of P836,017.87 and DPWH implemented these through the advance work mode.

For infrastructures, the DPWH is implementing P495 million worth of projects in Western Visayas. Among the projects implemented are in Antique, repair of scoured road shoulder, flood control and other projects with a cost of P25 million; Aklan, flood control project P40 million ; Capiz, road construction and repair and flood control P161 million; Iloilo, P64.9 million roads, P103,250,000 repair of Suague bridge in Janiuay town and P75 million flood control; and in Negros Occidental, P26.3 million roads and P500,000 repair of bridges.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) will be putting up 281 temporary poles mid of April this year in order to ensure stable supply of power in Capiz, Aklan and Antique provinces.

Betty Martinez, NGCP Corporate Communication Officer, recalled that the super typhoon has badly damaged their Panit-an substation 138 kilovolt (KV) towers that they were only able to momentarily restore power in Capiz and Antique provinces using their 69 KV towers that were easier to be restored and be able to beat the deadline given by the national government to have all major thoroughfares lighted last December.

She said that because of their experience the NGCP engineers are now going to redesign the towers to have it more resilient to higher wind velocity but that these would take two to three years more.

She said that with the summer season coming the NGCP will temporarily put up steel or wood poles as replacement of the 132 toppled towers of the 138 KV this April to meet the higher demand for power.(PNA)
PDS/AJPETINGLAY/VLO