QC to send humanitarian mission to Lando-affected areas

• Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?nid=7&rid=821138
• Thursday, October 29, 2015

By Leilani S. Junio [(PNA), RMA/LSJ]

MANILA, Oct. 29 (PNA)--The Quezon City government, announced Thursday that it will be sending a 200-man humanitarian mission to three provinces devastated by typhoon ‘Lando’.

The mission, based on the directives of QC mayor Herbert M. Bautista, covers the city government-adopted provinces of Aurora, Nueva Vizcaya and Bulacan.

The QC mission, organized by the city disaster risk reduction and management council, will be sent off to Baler, Aurora; Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya and San Miguel, Bulacan, to attend to the immediate needs of the affected families, including provision for medicines, ready-to-eat food, generator sets and construction tools and materials.

According to DRRMC action officer Elmo San Diego, the city’s humanitarian mission will also be providing technical assistance for the restoration of some government buildings or structures damaged by the typhoon, such as health centers, schools and barangay halls.

San Diego said the city government planned to provide Php 50 million worth of assistance to each of city’s adopted LGU.

A resolution shall be adopted by the QC council to facilitate the grant of the assistance, which will be sourced from the city’s local disaster risk reduction management fund.

The city’s humanitarian mission will be divided into three teams to cover the affected areas.

The city government also plans to adopt a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija ravaged by ‘Lando.’

Prior to the send off of the city’s humanitarian mission, the DRRMC will be sending a rapid assessment team to the areas adopted by QC to determine their priority needs.

Constituting the city’s assessment team are representatives from the engineering department, health department, social services development department, environmental protection and waste management department and the city’s disaster risk reduction management office, headed by Mike Marasigan.

It may be recalled that the city also provided aid to the local governments of Tolosa, Palompon and Sta. Fe, in Leyte, after the devastation caused by typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in 2013.