By CESAR JOLITO III
The municipality of Moises Padilla has received a total of P20 million in financial assistance to support recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Typhoon “Tino,” Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo said.
Mayor Garcia-Yulo received a P10-million check from the Negros Occidental provincial government during a turnover ceremony held at the Social Hall of the Provincial Capitol yesterday morning.
She expressed gratitude for the assistance, stressing that the availability of aid is more important than the amount.
“Even if the amount is small, it is important because people will still receive help,” Garcia-Yulo said in an ambush interview after the ceremony.
The mayor also thanked President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for the additional P10 million extended by the national government, bringing the total assistance for Moises Padilla to P20 million.
She said discussions on how the funds will be allocated are scheduled on Thursday, January 22.
Garcia-Yulo clarified that the financial assistance will not be limited to housing support alone, noting that it may also be used for food aid and other recovery needs of families affected by the typhoon.
On the municipality’s relocation program, the mayor said a geodetic engineer has already started the subdivision of the identified relocation site for displaced families.
The proposed lot allocations will be submitted to Sangguniang Bayan for the formulation of the implementing rules and regulations.
She explained that beneficiaries will be required to reside on their assigned relocation lots for a specified period before ownership is awarded, a measure aimed at preventing future disputes.
More than 100 families are expected to benefit from the relocation project.
Garcia-Yulo added that her uncle, former Congressman Eric Golez, is prepared to donate an additional hectare of land should the initially allocated area prove insufficient.
Moises Padilla is among eight local government units identified by the provincial government to receive assistance from the P50-million aid package released by Malacañang.
La Castellana and La Carlota City each received P10 million, while Bago City, Hinigaran and Binalbagan were granted P5 million each.
Isabela and Pontevedra received P2.5 million apiece./CJ, WDJ