The Department of Social Welfare and Development released Tuesday more than P21 million in core shelter and emergency shelter assistance to victims of tropical storm “Sendong” in the towns of Siaton and Sibulan, Negros Oriental.

Siaton Mayor Albert Ator donated 13,000 square meters of his own property where some of the 123 core shelter units will be constructed.

Thirty-four of the 123 will be constructed on a 7,000 square-meter lot in Barangay Siit, donated by Ator’s sister, Alona, and 89 on a 6,000 sq. m. property in Barangay San Jose.

Emergency shelter assistance of P5,000 each were also distributed to 498 Siatanons whose houses were damaged by “Sendong”.

In Sibulan, about 500 families received emergency shelter assistance worth P3,720,000 and 25 families were allotted P70,000 each as core shelter assistance, for a total of P5.44 million.

Of the 500 families, 244, whose houses were destroyed, got P10,000 each, and P5,000 each to 256 families with damaged homes.

Sibulan Mayor Marcela Bartoces said the problem now is the availability of a counterpart lot where the 25 core shelter houses will be built.

She said they are coordinating with the National Housing Authority for the acquisition of a lot in Balugo, Sibulan.

Eight other local government units hit by “Sendong” are expected to receive the same assistance from the national government in the coming weeks.*JG/JFP

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