The city government of Lapu-Lapu on Tuesday received 20 units of donated generator sets intended for island and remote villages where power remains absent since the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in December last year.
Mayor Junard Chan said in a media interview that the 20 units of 7.5 kilovolt-amperes (kVA) diesel-powered generator sets were part of the second batch of donations from his friends.
Chan said the first batch composed of six generator sets was already distributed to the island barangays.
He said villages that still have no electricity and those in remote areas will be the priority in the distribution of the second batch of donated generator sets.
Most likely, each barangay could get two generator sets, he noted.
The donors were mining operator Ronald Elpa, Hiyas Turismo ng Pilipinas Foundation, and a close friend of Chan who requested anonymity.
“Nakita man gud nato ang pagka sinsero ni Mayor Chan sa pagtabang sa katawhan (We can how sincere Mayor Chan is in helping the people),” Elpa said.
Meanwhile, Chan said the city government is now considering the idea of also giving financial assistance to non-indigent residents whose houses were destroyed by Typhoon Odette.
This was proposed after relatively all indigent families have already received their financial assistance of PHP5,000 per household.
The city has estimated more than 8,000 households that need assistance.
Chan said PHP503 million is intended as assistance for typhoon victims, of which PHP236 million is sourced from the city coffers, PHP217 million from President Rodrigo Duterte, and the rest are from various government agencies including the National Housing Authority (NHA) and local government units (LGUs).
The mayor said during the second batch of generator sets distribution, unclaimed cash assistance will be also be handed over to those beneficiaries who are included in the list but have not received any aid from the city.
“We will schedule the distribution as we still have plenty. If we have surplus, we will distribute them. If we will have more surpluses, I will have it checked how many residents who are just renting homes who registered in Lapu-Lapu City and were affected by the typhoon,” Chan said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
