The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Western Visayas simultaneously distributed cash assistance of P9.88 million to families displaced by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano through its Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) program.
A total of 1,711 families of internally displaced persons have received the cash assistance. Each family received P5,775.
Of the recipients, a total of 1,362 are La Castellana residents; 327 from La Carlota City; and 22 from Bago City in Negros Occidental, areas heavily affected by ashfall and sulfuric emissions resulting from the volcanic activity.
DSWD-6 regional director Arwin Razo supervised the distribution of financial assistance.
The ECT is a key intervention of DSWD that complements the provision of in-kind assistance through unconditional cash support to the victims of disasters and emergencies.
The provision of cash empowers the affected population to decide on their own needs using available resources, it said.
“Even as we continue to provide family food packs, the emergency cash transfer is a crucial form of assistance that will help our displaced families in meeting their specific and urgent needs. With this cash aid, they are given the means to support themselves more effectively as they endure this difficult period,” Razo said in a statement. ||
