GOV'T AID. Personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-5 (Bicol) provide assistance to a family affected by a fire in Barangay Bagacay, Jovellar town in Albay on Thursday (Aug. 31, 2023). The assistance includes family food packs and non-food items such as hygiene, family, sleeping and kitchen kits. (Photo courtesy of DSWD-5)
LEGAZPI CITY – A total of 2,198 fishermen from Oas and Ligao City in Albay whose livelihood was affected by the recent typhoons stand to receive aid from the government.
The financial assistance is now being distributed under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-5 (Bicol) with the help of Albay 3rd District Rep. Fernando Cabredo.
In an interview on Friday, Shaira Mae Cabredo, chief political affairs officer of Cabredo, said the first payout was set on Sept. 1 and subsequently, on Sept. 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 28 and 29.
"Each beneficiary will receive PHP3,000 each or a total of PHP6.5 million in assistance," Cabredo said.
She said the beneficiaries in Oas are from the villages of Nagas, Tapel, Badian, Cagmanaba and Maramba, while those in Ligao City are from Barangays Maonon, Cabarian and Catburawan.
Cabredo said 275 beneficiaries are expected to receive their cash aid Friday.
"We started today in Barangay Nagas and Barangay Tapel. They are fishermen from the 3rd district of Albay badly affected by adverse weather conditions that affected their livelihood," she said.
Meanwhile, Marygizelle Mesa, DSWD-Bicol spokesperson, said in a report that assistance was given on Thursday to a family affected by a fire in Barangay Bagacay, Jovellar town, in Albay on Aug. 25.
"The DSWD-Bicol Municipal Action Team in Jovellar, upon receipt of the report, promptly conducted an assessment and validation to immediately address the needs of the affected family," she said.
Mesa said the assistance given includes two family food packs and non-food relief items such as hygiene, family, sleeping and kitchen kits, collapsible water containers and laminated sacks.
"The family has already been referred to receive financial assistance through AICS," she added.
The Bureau of Fire Protection in Jovellar reported faulty electrical wiring as the cause of the fire that razed the family’s home, along with 18 sacks of newly harvested rice and PHP9,000 cash. (PNA)
