Ilocos region: The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is providing unconditional financial assistance to households in the Ilocos Region whose homes have been either totally or partially damaged.

According to Philippines News Agency, this assistance is part of the Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program - Emergency Shelter Support. DHSUD Ilocos Region Public Housing and Settlements Division head, Dr. Claudine Valdez, detailed the initiative in a recent phone interview. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Memorandum No. 5 of 2021 assigns DHSUD as the leader for the Shelter and Housing Assistance Program during the emergency response, early recovery, and rehabilitation phases.

The program is designed to meet the immediate and temporary shelter needs of affected households. Financial assistance is set at PHP10,000 for partially damaged houses and PHP30,000 for houses that are totally damaged.

Valdez explained the process by which affected residents can apply for the assistance: "Sa barangay po muna sila magsa-submit. Barangay will submit sa local government unit (LGU). Then the LGU will endorse sa DHSUD (Affected residents will submit requirements to the barangay. The barangay will then submit to the LGU. Then the LGU will endorse it to the DHSUD)." The required documents include photos of the damaged house, an LGU disaster report, a master list of beneficiaries, a beneficiary eligibility sheet with an attached identification card, and a certificate of eligibility.

Local government units (LGUs) seeking to access the shelter assistance must submit the necessary documents within three months of the disaster. Valdez noted that the timeline for receiving assistance will depend on scheduled inspections or validations and the LGUs' compliance with the required documentation.

As of August 7, three LGUs in La Union have submitted requests for assistance, with 25 requests from Sudipen, 25 from Santol, and 73 from Agoo. Valdez also mentioned that no requests have been received yet from Pangasinan, although there have been requests from Ilocos Sur, as the program covers all 125 LGUs in the region.

The NDRRMC report released on Friday states that there are 81,983 damaged houses in the Ilocos Region due to severe weather conditions in July. Of these, 73,295 houses are partially damaged, and 8,688 are totally damaged.