Bacolod: More than 19,000 families affected by Typhoon Tino in this highly-urbanized city have received PHP118.234 million in Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

According to Philippines News Agency, data from the DSWD-Negros Island Region showed that as of 11 a.m. Monday, 3,098 severely affected families from 48 barangays were provided PHP31.986 million, while 16,064 slightly affected families from 49 barangays received PHP86.247 million. On Tuesday, families with slightly affected houses in three barangays also received cash aid, but the total number of beneficiaries and amount released were not yet available.

Severely affected families receive PHP10,325 each, while slightly affected families are provided PHP5,369 each. In a statement, Mayor Greg Gasataya expressed his gratitude to Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian for the prompt release of funds aimed at the swift recovery of families who lost their homes and livelihoods. "I am very grateful to the agency because Bacolod is the first in the entire region to receive the ECT for those affected by Typhoon Tino," he said.

The payout for the first batch of beneficiaries, which included 3,430 families with destroyed homes and 14,823 with slightly damaged houses, was held from Dec. 12 to 18. For the second batch, the cash aid distribution has been set for Dec. 22 to 29.

The ECT program serves as an adaptive strategy bridging the gap between immediate disaster relief, humanitarian response, and early recovery support in disasters and emergencies by providing unconditional cash assistance to disaster-affected families requiring intervention. Unlike anticipatory assistance or those provided prior to actual occurrences of shocks, ECT is a post-disaster intervention in the form of cash transfers given to families surviving from covariate shocks.