Taguig turns over financial aid to 5 Yolanda-hit E. Samar towns

As part of its earlier commitment to aid Yolanda-hit towns in Visayas, the Taguig City government turned over a total of P1.25 million in calamity assistance funds to five municipalities in Eastern Samar on Monday.

Mayor Lani Cayetano herself handed P250,000 to each of the five mayors of the municipalities of Gen. MacArthur, Mercedes, Guiuan, Quinapondan, and Salcedo after the flag-raising ceremony at the Taguig City Hall grounds at around 8 a.m.

“This is our city’s way of contributing to the recovery of those affected by strongest storm in our history. We will continue supporting these municipalities and praying for their efforts to rebuild their communities,” Mayor Lani said.

She added that the P250,000 assistance to each municipality will not be the last.

The mayors from the five Eastern Samar towns expressed their gratitude towards the city for its unwavering support.

“It is difficult to recover from such disaster but with all the help that we are receiving, we will pull through,” said Mayor Shin Gonzales from Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

“I could feel the heart in your efforts to help our community. We are thankful,” Mayor Gonzales added.

Moreover, Mercedes Mayor Enrique Cabos presented Mayor Lani with a plaque of appreciation for “opening a new hope, oneness, and opportunity to a community intending to return to normal.”

“We are thankful for all the support that we have received. The calamity created and developed true friendship and genuine concern to people,” Mayor Cabos said.

On the decision of the local government to focus on the five towns, Mayor Lani said that it was part of a larger effort led by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to have cities in Metro Manila play a key role in helping the Visayas.

“ Habang patuloy tayong pinagpapala, ang hamon sa atin ay patuloy din tayong tumulong at magbigay,” Mayor Lani said.

During the aftermath of super typhoon “Yolanda”, the local government of Taguig, in partnership with the office of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, extended help to areas heavily affected through a five-day Bayanihan Ro-Ro Mission.

The Ro-Ro mission carried relief goods, toiletries, medicines, generator sets, and water filtration units to the five municipalities, and provided transportation support for evacuees. The city also provided personnel to assist in the relief and rescue operations. ###